ABGSC Women in Finance Foundation supports Female Business Forum at BI Norwegian Business School

Above: ABGSC Investment Banking Partner and Foundation Board Member, Eirin Mårvik (third from left) and the Foundation’s Managing Director, Marianne Daae (third from right), join members of the planning committee during the BI Female Business Forum. 

On 4-5 April 2024, representatives from the ABGSC Women in Finance Foundation and ABGSC attended the annual Female Business Forum at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. The Foundation was once again the event’s main sponsor, having contributed to the event for the fourth consecutive year. The purpose of the event was to inspire and motivate the 125 participating students to consider pursuing careers across a range of ambitious sectors, including finance, and to provide them with the tools and insight necessary to do so. Lead organiser Nora Waler Frøylog, whom the Foundation profiled earlier this year, explained that “Our objective is to demonstrate inclusivity by uplifting women and inspiring them to seize opportunities, challenge themselves, and build confidence”
ABGSC Investment Banking Partner and Foundation Board Member, Eirin Mårvik, delivered the opening speech on the second day of the event, in which she talked about the range of possible career paths that the finance industry has to offer, using her own experience within investment banking as an example. The event included presentations from a number of other speakers; among them were the hosts of the “Finansjentene” podcast, Thea Stensaker (of Danske Bank) and Lone Sjursen Kleveland (of Gjensidige); the podcast, which the Foundation has previously supported, aims to de-mystify the finance industry. The event was rounded up with a banquet.

Above: ABGSC Investment Banking Partner and Foundation Board Member, Eirin Mårvik, delivers the opening speech on day two of the BI Female Business Forum.

Among the participating students, many had not yet chosen potential post-graduate studies. By providing insight into the finance industry, both the Foundation and ABGSC hoped to demonstrate the range of possible roles available within it, and to encourage the participating students to consider it as a possible career path.
Reflecting on the event, Eirin Mårvik commented that, “I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Female Business Forum and want to thank the students at BI for hosting such a successful event! As we often hear from female students, one of the most important ways of encouraging them to consider careers in the finance industry is to offer them the opportunity to hear first-hand from women working in the industry. I therefore hope that the students enjoyed my presentation and gained some useful insight into the finance industry. It was great to see the enthusiasm among those whom I met and to hear that this year’s Forum once again attracted a high number of attendees”.

Above left: Thea Stensaker and Lone Sjursen Kleveland, hosts of the “Finansjentene” podcast (which the Foundation has previously supported), deliver a presentation during the BI Female Business Forum. Above right: Members of the planning committee gather during the Female Business Forum; they include (from left): Oliver Solrud, Mari Brakstad, Nora Waler Frøytlog, Kristine Frivold and Andrine Nystuen . 

About the Female Business Forum at BI Norwegian Business School
The Female Business Forum is one of BI’s most important annual student events and has been held since 2014. The event stretches over two days each spring and traditionally includes a variety of lectures, panel discussions, debates, networking opportunities, workshops, and a banquet. By providing a forum that highlights the role of women in business, the goal of the event is to inspire female students to consider pursuing careers across a range of ambitious, and perhaps less well-known, sectors. To attend the event, interested students must apply by writing a motivation letter; the top 125 applicants are granted a place (out of 200 applicants in 2024).