The iconic «fearless girl» statue which faced down Wall Street is headed for Switzerland – but Paradeplatz's wealth managers don't have room for her, finews.com learned.
The 50-inch bronze statue of a girl who, arms akimbo, defiantly faced down Wall Street's bull in 2017 as a symbol for gender diversity is heading for Zurich, finews.com has learned. U.S. fund house State Street commissioned the artwork to raise awareness of womens' role in finance – as well as to an indexed fund it offered on gender diversity.
«Fearless Girl» was removed from her original location across from the New York Stock Exchange, though a plaque now commemorates her place. She popped up in London's bank district last month – and a copy of the statue is coming to Zurich on Monday, a spokesman for State Street confirmed to finews.com.
That means the symbol of diversity in the corporate world will be put up for display on the same day as Zurich observes a local holiday celebrating a medieval tradition of guilds – and one which sparks controversy every year for shutting out women.
No Room on Paradeplatz
The city of Zurich, which occasionally puts up public works of art like a seven-ton elephant sculpture by Spanish artist Miquel Barceló last year, looked into several spots. But unlike Barcélo's elephant, Paradeplatz isn't but making any room for «Fearless Girl».
The square, home to Credit Suisse's headquarters, a four-story UBS office building, and the prestigious Credit Suisse-owned Savoy Hotel, is the apex of Swiss banking. Instead, «Fearless Girl» will be set up on nearby Beethovenstrasse, inside State Street's Zurich offices.
After Zurich, «Fearless Girl» heads for Lausanne, where she will enjoy a more prominent spot than Zurich is offering her. Traditionally male-dominated Swiss banking is getting a wake-up call, as finews.com reported last month.
