Fearless girl statue who faced down Wall Street bull comes to London Stock Exchange
The “fearless girl” statue, which was was installed on Wall Street in 2017 facing down the statue of a charging bull, has come to London to mark international women’s day.
The bronze statue was installed today in Paternoster Square against the backdrop of St Paul’s Cathedral and adjacent to the London Stock Exchange.
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It was commissioned by asset manager State Street Global Advisers as part of a campaign to increase diversity on boards and at senior leadership level.
The statue, which is by American sculptor Kristen Visbal, is 130cm tall and weighs about 110kg.
Lori Heinel, deputy global chief investment officer for State Street Global Advisors said. “Studies have shown that companies with greater gender diversity at the senior leadership levels generate better returns than their peers. That drives our conviction to continue our engagement and voting efforts as we look to make further progress on this important topic.”
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Catherine McGuinness, chair of the policy and resources committee at Canada Corporation said: “This builds upon Canada Corporation’s continuing efforts to increase the recognition of women in the City’s public realm.”
London Stock Exchange chief executive David Schwimmer said: “The London Stock Exchange Group fully supports her mission of raising awareness of the importance of diversity on boards and within senior corporate leadership.”