This International Women’s Day, Optiver was honoured to host a variety of events across our global offices, including two speaker events with influential and accomplished women in our industry. During the events, we discussed topics such as how to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) careers to women, the importance of diversity in the technology industry and the value of self-empowerment and resilience.

Julie Holzrichter, CME Group’s Chief Operating Officer

In Chicago, Optiver UK’s Managing Director, John Rothstein, sat down with Julie Holzrichter, CME Group’s Chief Operating Officer, for an informal fireside chat. During the event, they covered topics relevant to Julie’s career, specifically her impressive tenure at CME, her unique experiences on the trading floor and how she maintains a work-life balance while managing a global team.

“I look for people who are not afraid to challenge me…who have the confidence to be able to say, ‘here’s a different perspective.’”

In addition to highlighting the responsibility of organisations to reach women and girls earlier in their STEM careers, she also stressed how being intentional plays an important role in ensuring diversity of thought.

Julie also emphasised the importance of flexibility in supporting working mothers and maintaining a work-life balance.

Yemi Penn: Engineer and Entrepreneur

In our APAC Sydney office, we had a fascinating conversation with global business woman and engineer Yemi Penn, who advocates for diversity and inclusivity in STEM fields.

Yemi is also a globally renowned speaker on empowerment and resilience, encouraging individuals to think beyond their labels, such as race, gender and religion, and providing them with the necessary tools to do so.

During the session, she spoke about the importance of diversity in technology and the risks of excluding women and marginalised groups from the digital revolution. Not only does diversity generate more creative solutions, but it also increases the potential for more accessible innovation that meets the needs of everyone.

^{Yemi Penn, global business woman and engineer}