A Timeline of Women in Investing

July 17, 2024

Capital Partners

Our women in investing timeline showcases the achievements of notable women in investing, from 1950 to today.

1957

Viola Mitchell Turner
Turner joined North Carolina Mutual Insurance (NCMI) in 1920 as a secretary. She rose through the ranks over 36 years, earning the company over $1 million with her investment advice and portfolio management. Her financial acumen made her one of the most sought-after investors in the U.S. In 1957, she became NCMI’s first woman executive.

1967

Muriel Siebert
Known as the “First Woman of Finance,” Siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1967 and was the first woman to head one of the NYSE’s member firms.

1977

Geraldine Weiss
After struggling to find a position at an investment firm, Weiss started her own investment newsletter in 1966, which she signed as “G. Weiss.” In 1977, she revealed her identity after achieving a consistently successful track record. The strategy used by the “Grand Dame of Dividends” outperformed those recommended by other newsletters and has achieved above-average returns even in poor markets.

1984

Rosemary McFadden
McFadden became the first woman president of a U.S. stock exchange when she was named president and CEO in 1984 of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYME).

1990

Abby Joseph Cohen
Cohen was an economist for the Federal Reserve Board before being a quantitative strategist at T. Rowe Price and Goldman Sachs. Her forecast of the 1990s bull run led her to prominence. After retiring in 2021, Cohen became a professor of business at Columbia University.

1998

Deborah Farrington
In 1998, Farrington founded StarVest Partners, one of the largest woman-majority-owned VC firms in the U.S. She was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Centennial Medal for Achievement in Financial Services in 2018.

2006

Amy Chen
Chen became the first CIO at the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, educational, and research complex, in 2006. She oversees the overall investment strategy and management of the institution's endowment, which totals $1.8 billion.

2009

Mary Callahan Erdoes
Erdoes joined JPMorgan Chase in 1996 and became the CEO of the firm’s asset and wealth management division in 2009. She oversees $4 trillion in client assets, and in 2021, her business achieved record client flows of $389 billion. Under Erdoes’ division, 60% of assets under management are managed by female and/or diverse portfolio managers.

2014

Abigail Johnson
Johnson became chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments in 2014, overseeing $4.8 trillion in assets. Under her leadership, Fidelity has emerged as one of the largest investment firms globally, championing innovation and diversity.

2017

Dawn Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick joined Soros Fund Management in 2017 and is CIO. This move made her one of only a handful of women to ever manage a major hedge fund.

2018

Sonal Desai, Ph.D.
After stints in academia and monetary policy, Desai pivoted to investing. She joined Franklin Templeton in 2009 and became CIO of its fixed income group in 2018. In her role, Desai oversees around $1.5 trillion in fixed income assets.

2019

Mellody Hobson
Hobson became co-CEO of Ariel Investments in 2019, a Chicago-based investment management firm with nearly $14.9 billion in assets under management. TIME named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.

2023

Robyn Grew
In 2023, Grew became the first female CEO of Man Group, the world’s largest publicly traded hedge fund company, with $161 billion in assets under management. She was named to Forbes’ 2023 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Man Group is led by two women for the first time in its 240-year history, with Grew joined by Anne Wade, chair of the board, in late 2023.

The Center for Women & Wealth is committed to engaging and supporting women as they create and manage wealth.

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