To mark International Women’s Day 2026, Euronext hosted events across its locations under the theme “Balancing the scales.” The discussions brought together colleagues, clients and external speakers to reflect on how leadership, capital and opportunity can be more equitably distributed across organisations and markets.
In Paris, one of the guest speakers was Fabienne Konik, President and Co-Founder of Women in Finance France and Partner at EY, where she leads the Wealth and Asset Management sector in France within Consulting. Drawing on more than 20 years of international experience in financial services, she shares her perspective on where imbalance persists and what it will take to correct it in the following article.
Where power concentrates, imbalance persists
For Fabienne Konik, the scales remain most visibly tilted where power concentrates: executive committees, partnerships and boards. “The last mile is the hardest,” she notes. “Many organisations say they cannot find the right female candidates. I think that is simply not true.”
Through Women in Finance France, which brings together senior women from more than 25 financial institutions, she sees first-hand that the talent pool exists. The issue, she argues, is less about supply and more about structural intent.
Too often, diversity is tracked as a KPI without being embedded as a strategic priority. “What gets measured gets done,” she says. “But it also needs to be owned at the top. Leadership must believe diversity creates value.”
Based on feedback from members of the network, she highlights four structural levers that can accelerate progress:
- Challenging conventional promotion patterns. Requiring diverse shortlists for senior roles is not about symbolism, but about deliberately widening decision frameworks and questioning inherited norms.
- Visible leadership commitment. Progress depends on executive-level accountability and clear ownership.
- Active sponsorship. High-potential women need sponsors and mentors who advocate for them when critical decisions are made.
- Long-term trajectory building. Reaching top leadership rarely happens in a year. Institutions must intentionally build eight-to-ten-year development paths that prepare women for the most senior roles.
For Fabienne Konik, balancing the scales at senior level requires a mindset shift from reactive correction to proactive design.
Financial literacy as economic power
Beyond representation in leadership, she also points to a deeper structural dimension: access to financial literacy. “Financial literacy is economic power in action,” she explains. “It is not just about understanding money. It is about understanding choice, independence and long-term influence.”
In wealth and asset management, she sees directly how knowledge of capital allocation translates into decision-making authority. Those who understand investment, risk and long-term strategy are better positioned to shape their futures and the broader economy.
Demographic trends reinforce the urgency of this shift. By 2030, women are expected to control close to 40% of global wealth (source: McKinsey & Company). As wealth creation and transfer patterns evolve, equal access to financial knowledge becomes a powerful enabler of autonomy and resilience.
“When women understand capital allocation, they influence where money flows,” she notes. “That has implications not only for individual opportunity, but for how the economic system evolves.” Balancing opportunity therefore requires not only equal access to jobs, but equal access to financial education and strategic insight.
Three practical moves for the next generation
For those entering financial sector today, Fabienne Konik offers pragmatic advice grounded in her own experience.
- Build technical credibility early. “Be clear on what you are known for,” she says. “What is your superpower?” Excellence creates legitimacy.
- Invest intentionally in networks and visibility. Careers do not advance on competence alone. Building relationships across functions and seniority levels, and managing one’s professional visibility, are strategic investments. “Visibility shapes your footprint,” she notes.
- Ask for sponsors, not only mentors. Sponsors advocate behind closed doors, where promotions and appointments are decided. “Advocacy can change outcomes,” she explains. Yet many women hesitate to seek sponsorship. Being explicit about ambition and asking for support can make a decisive difference.
Together, these steps combine personal agency with structural awareness, a dual approach which she believes is essential to lasting progress.
From measurement to momentum
Throughout her career, Fabienne Konik has focused on transformation. As President of Women in Finance France, she sees gender balance at senior level not as a standalone objective, but as a driver of better business performance and sustainable growth in an increasingly diverse financial services sector.
Balancing the scales, in her view, is ultimately about redesigning systems of power and capital allocation, and equipping individuals to navigate them with confidence.
As discussions across Euronext’s International Women’s Day events continue, her message is clear: talent is not the constraint. The decisive factor is whether institutions are willing to act with intention, invest in long-term trajectories and align leadership accountability with declared ambition.