Toigo names 100 rising diverse leaders to its fellowship ranks

By Georgio Salas.
Updated Jun 23, 2021

OAKLAND, Calif. (PRWEB) June 23, 2021 - One hundred diverse MBA candidates have been named by the Toigo Foundation, a non-profit organization with a 30+ year track record of supporting rising underrepresented leaders, to its class of 2023 MBA Fellows, including a record high number of women. The candidates will enroll in 21 MBA programs in the United States and United Kingdom.

We were expecting a tremendously competitive admissions process across the MBA landscape this year on the heels of the pandemicand with over 400 Fellow applicants, we were on the mark. Both the level of talent and overall numbers in terms of leadership potential, mix of experience, and career aspirations have yielded a robust, richly diverse Class of 2023 and an exciting group of young professionals in finance, said Kristy Posocco, Director of Education and Career Advancement at Toigo.

The Toigo Class of 2023 sets a new benchmark for the representation of women in the program, with over 53% of the selected Fellows identifying as diverse women. In comparison, enrollment of women overall in MBA programs is currently 40%, and the percentage of women pursuing the degree with a career focus on finance falls even lower. This achievement is especially relevant post-pandemic, following a year in which the number of women applying to business schools was impacted at a higher rate than their male counterparts, with many facing financial hurdles, conflicting family obligations, and ultimately deferring MBA enrollment as a result.

Selection and participation in the Toigo MBA program provides rising diverse finance leaders with more than coaching and trainingits an invitation into one of the finance industrys most active and robust networks for diverse professionals, said Nancy Sims, President and CEO of the Toigo Foundation.

The incoming class of Fellows embodies the Foundations commitment to excellence, leadership and innovation. Through the Toigo MBA Program, which serves 200 rising diverse leaders pursuing careers in finance, the Foundation provides one-on-one coaching, leadership programming and training with the goal of enhancing each participants leadership skills, especially navigating issues unique to diverse talent and todays changing workplace dynamics.

As part of its commitment to the growing complexity of the global business landscape, the Foundation announced a partnership with the Sad Business School at the University of Oxford earlier this year; three Sad students were named as MBA Fellows as part of the Class of 2023.

The addition of Oxford Sad to our portfolio of partner institutions marks our first international partnership and underscores the importance of the global perspective across our leadership platform, added Posocco.

About the Toigo Foundation Toigos mission is to transform the performance of forward-thinking organizations through education and strategies that drive greater inclusion and the ongoing development and promotion of exceptional diverse leaders. Based in Oakland, CA, the non-profit has been focused on leadership development and workplace inclusion for 30+ years. Its programs include MBA career development, leadership and advancement support, women in leadership, and Toigo Inclusion Strategy Services. More than 1,800 men and women of color have held the designation of Toigo Fellow; today, many are leading teams and organizations in a mix of finance asset classesand beyond.