Diversity
The Oxford Alpha Fund is a firm believer in the value of diversity of thought. We have always sought out people who see the world in interesting and different ways. Markets lose their efficiency when participants' collective behaviours produce systematic errors; when markets lose their diversity of thought and independence, participants process information with the same biases, methods and emotions. We have always, and will continue to seek out the best investors across Oxford's diverse student body.
However, we recognise that a lack of diversity, particularly concerning gender, race, disability, and sexual orientation in the financial sector is a problem that requires active engagement to solve. Towards that end, we have worked with prominent firms in the industry to provide recruitment access to the fund's talent for diversity-related events, and have engaged industry professionals who are keen on promoting the industry to under-represented groups.
We pride ourselves to be a platform connecting Oxford's diverse talent with top firms within the finance industry. Whilst hoping to develop Oxford's budding investment talent, we also recognise that investing is a field that many are not exposed to prior to entering university. We thus allocate a fixed proportion of slots in our flagship investing bootcamps for members of our partner societies - societies aimed at promoting and celebrating diversity, as well as empowering less represented groups. We hope to serve as an effective conduit of talent into the financial services and be a part of the movement towards promoting diversity within it.
Diversity partners
A non-exclusive list of relevant references supporting our beliefs:
PwC: Diversity is the solution
JPM: Why we value a diverse workforce
Forbes: Six ways to address the diversity problem in finance
Euromoney: Diversity in finance
Irish Central Bank: Lack of diversity is part of the problem with our banking culture