When Benita Warmbold graduated the Commerce program in 1980, women comprised 39% of the class. By 2009/2010, the scales had tipped; that was the first year that women comprised a majority of the class (52:48, compared to this year’s 51:49 ratio of female to male students).
“We may have been a minority in my day, but we certainly made our presence felt,” Benita recalls fondly. Her Queen’s experience prepared her well for her subsequent career in finance, says the Senior VP and COO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (see her profile in the Summer 2011 issue of Smith Magazine).
A member of Smith’s Advisory Board since 2010, Benita and her husband, Gerry Wood, decided they wanted to send a message of encouragement to young women contemplating a career in finance. The pair decided to fund an endowed award based on academic excellence, proven leadership skills and involvement in school or community activities for female third-year Commerce students who have chosen a finance concentration.
“I’ve enjoyed an extremely rewarding career in finance, and while I’ve certainly worked with many women along the way, there is still room for women to make even greater strides in this field,” Benita says.
Thanks to the couple’s support, there will be generations of young women to follow in Benita’s footsteps, changing the world as they go.
