IN ARGENTINA BYMA held the seventh edition of the "Toque de Campana por la Igualdad de Género" (Bell Toll for Gender Equality).

In the framework of "International Women's Day", BYMA -Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos- together with IDB INVEST, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), UN Women and Pacto Global; held in Argentina the seventh edition of "Ringing the Bell for Gender Equality".

The initiative was carried out virtually on March 10 and was attended by almost 300 people. Under the aforementioned slogan, in addition to the traditional ringing of the bell, a space for dialogue was developed on innovation, technological change and education in the digital era to achieve greater gender equality.

It consisted of a one-on-one with Patricia Pomies, Global Chief Operating Officer of Globant, which was moderated by Claudio Zuchovicki, Secretary General of FIAB and Director of BYMA. Also part of the day were Gabriela Terminielli, Director of BYMA, and Gonzalo Pascual Merlo, CEO of the organization.

‍Globant's leading figure gave her vision of the current and future scenario, the opportunities that are opening up and what to take into account to take advantage of them:

• Keys that led her to occupy leadership positions: "That curiosity, that desire to be in uncomfortable places. Surrounding myself with people who know much more than one." At the same time, she highlighted the role of professional women's communities: "I met other women who were facing the same issues as I was, when it came to talking, to thinking about career development for the coming years."

• Current scenario of women in the IT industry: "There is a growing trend, there are more women programming, in technology, engineering, biology and mathematics, but still no parity." And she highlighted the importance of inspirational roles: "There are many women leaders who are trying to change realities", in addition to emphasizing the importance of each woman choosing the place she wants to occupy in any field: "You can transform realities in any field in life, you don't have to be COO, CEO or leader".
• Opportunities in Latin America: "They are in technology, there is a workforce that is being underutilized and it is the strength of women. Training more women in technology is everyone's responsibility, not just the technology industry. Today all companies in all industries are looking for technology specialists."
• Projections in the IT industry: "It is a market that is going to grow and become active. Today understanding technology should be a must."
• And she ended with a call to action: "All companies can generate concrete changes in the 5% of women who are currently holding management positions. In diversity and inclusion lies the best creativity and the best innovation."

For her part, Gabriela Terminielli expressed the importance of the activities that give visibility to the issue and that transmit the message that "it can be done", and that it is a matter of making decisions. "We are calling on people to really see the opportunity and calling on men, it is not just a women's issue." In addition, she explained the work that the Stock Exchange has been doing to promote equality in the ecosystem, highlighting that it is women who are today leading key areas of BYMA such as Innovation, Products, Corporate Governance, among others.

‍Gonzalo Pascual Merlo focused on the commitment assumed by BYMA: "As a Stock Exchange we have the possibility of being multipliers and facilitators of sustainability in Argentina, not only for the financial sector but also for the Argentine corporate ecosystem in general. Beyond our internal management, we work on developments that promote that all actors evolve in terms of equality." And he emphasized: "To achieve significant changes it is necessary to do on the basis of dialogue, reflection, conversation, exchange of diverse points of view.".

The day is available on BYMA's official YouTube channel:

What is Ring the Bell about?

The action, known internationally as "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality," is promoted by the Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative with the aim of drawing attention to the critical role the private sector can play in advancing gender equality to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. It is celebrated in the month of March on more than 100 stock exchanges around the world.

Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative.