The iconic «fearless girl» statue is hidden from public view during her stay in Zurich. A group of prominent, high-level female bankers is looking to change that, finews.com has learned.
A replica of the Kristen Visbal «Fearless Girl» statue is being displayed in Zurich, as finews.com reported exclusively. But unlike prominent spots the iconic symbol for diversity in finance has enjoyed in New York and London, «Fearless Girl» in Zurich will be set up inside State Street's Beethovenstrasse office, which is closed to the public.
Her haphazard placement in Zurich undermines the powerful message the statue is designed to display – and has led to a flood of disappointed and angry reactions from senior female bankers in Switzerland.
No Room on Paradeplatz
Prominent private banker Mara Harvey told finews.com she was dismayed that «Fearless Girl» didn't find a spot on Paradeplatz. Home to Credit Suisse's headquarters as well as a four-story UBS office building, the square is the apex of Swiss banking.
«It would be such a brilliant signal to all the women in finance that we really do mean it when we say we want more diversity in the industry», said Harvey, who runs UBS' ultra-high net worth business in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Another group of women expressed interest in paying homage to the statue with a visit – only to learn that «Fearless Girl» is displayed behind closed doors.
Bumbled Handling
A spokesman for State Street, which commissioned the artwork to raise awareness of womens' role in finance, said that the fund house plans events outside of its Zurich offices with the statue replica, but didn't provide specifics. «Fearless Girl» heads for western Switzerland next month, where she will be displayed during a two-day pension event in Ecublens.
The kerfuffle over her out-of-the-way placement in Zurich is ironic: women still face resistance in the top ranks of Swiss finance despite various efforts to promote diversity. On Thursday and Friday, Zurich is hosting an international diversity event with top executives from Pfizer, UBS, and Philip Morris.
State Street contacted the city of Zurich over a public display, but the U.S. firm appears to have bumbled the local government handling. In addition, the replica isn't completely weatherproof, like the original bronze statue is.
