Regulators bring diversity push in-house

As regulators ramp up their attention to diversity and inclusion issues in the capital markets, they are also pledging to improve performance within their own ranks.

The umbrella group of Canadian provincial and U.S. state securities regulators, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), adopted a new policy on diversity, equity and inclusion at its latest annual meeting.

The new statement sets out NASAA’s commitment to promote diversity in its own leadership, activities and policy-making. It also pledged to support local regulators’ efforts at enhancing diversity and inclusion, and to provide them with resources to help attract and retain talent.

“DEI issues will remain at the forefront of our mission, and our statement represents a positive and necessary step forward for NASAA,” said Lisa Hopkins, president of NASAA and senior deputy commissioner of securities for West Virginia, in a release.

“This statement will inform and guide the way we carry out the NASAA mission,” she added.

Recently, several Canadian regulators have launched consultations on enhancing diversity at public companies.

The regulators in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick issued a joint consultation paper on the subject, and the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is hosting a roundtable on the issue on Oct. 13.

The Investment industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) is also holding an online event on Oct. 13 to examine inclusion issues for frontline retail investment industry staff.

James Langton

James is a senior reporter for Advisor.ca and its sister publication, Investment Executive. He has been reporting on regulation, securities law, industry news and more since 1994.