The NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB) is pleased to announce the members of our inaugural cohort of EmpowHER: Career Development Program in Sustainable Finance, Supported by Visa Foundation. The program was designed to help a diverse group of values-driven professionals build their financial expertise and networks, creating the foundation for gainful career opportunities in sustainable investing.

A career in sustainable finance provides a unique opportunity to drive investment into companies that are solving pressing environmental and social challenges. ESG-related investments currently account for 1 in every $4 invested in the US, totaling more than $17 trillion invested in sustainable assets in 2020 alone. This represents a 42% increase from 2018 and consistent year over year growth for more than a decade. There is a corresponding explosion of demand for sustainability-related financial expertise to manage these assets. However, there is not enough qualified human capital to keep up with the financial capital being funneled into ESG investments. An analysis of LinkedIn job posts by the CFA Institute found 6% of investment professional job posts mentioned sustainability-related skills, yet less than 1% of profiles disclose such experience. 

This group of women who started the NYU Stern MBA program in Fall 2022 is engaging with the sustainable finance community and alumni to refine their expertise, gaining hands-on learning experiences, participating in intensive training and networking sessions, and accessing mentorships with impressive women in the industry.

Congratulations to our inaugural cohort!

• Andy Mukherjee
• Bianca Isabel Dy
• Christina Lu
• Danit Fleischman
• Doris Lu
• Emily Farley Chang
• Huaimeng (Anna) Zhang
• Jesse Weiss
• Laura de Ávila Degasperi
• Maggie Stafford 
• Niharika Agrawal
• Sangitha Mohan
• Sreekavitha Parupalli
• Tina Wang
• Junyun (Tina) Yang 
• Yifei Hong