Rebecca Felton has been in the financial services industry since 1983. “When I started in the business, for many years I was the only woman on the investment team,” recalls Felton, who’s now a senior market strategist for Riverfront Investment Group. With the creation of the firm’s new women’s initiative Engage in 2019, Felton and her team hope to encourage and mentor women in the financial services fields and bridge the gender gap in the office.
In a post-pandemic world, she is even more hopeful about the future of women in her field. “I think this past year has taught us that there’s a great amount of flexibility in terms of various roles, everything from a financial advisor to being a portfolio manager.”
In her role at Riverfront, Felton provides external communications of the firm's investment strategy for both clients and media.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was encouraged by her team’s response. “There was more intentional collaboration — there was a desire to connect with your teammate,” Felton says. “You saw everyone come together around that. Each and every person stepped up and supported one another. Not just from a professional standpoint but from a personal standpoint.”
Felton looks forward to having the Engage initiative back in person. “I think the key to it is mentorship,” she says. “It is very empowering when women really think about their strengths around planning and process orientation and oftentimes more rational thinking. … It makes them better investors, generally.”
