Women in Loan Markets Association

Women in Loan Markets Australia (WILMA) is a subcommittee of the APLMA Australia branch. WILMA exists as a platform to facilitate knowledge sharing between the female membership of APLMA. The WILMA subcommittee also aims to encourage the pipeline of women to be involved in discussions on issues affecting the loan market, and to build relationships and provide support as members grow in their careers.

WILMA’s key objectives are:
• Provide a professional networking forum for women in the loan market, allowing them to develop and strengthen connections throughout the industry.
• Support women in achieving the most in their careers by organising events that are educational, informative and insightful.
• Encourage diversity in speakers to ensure well-rounded discussions, viewpoints and lessons for the benefit of male and female members.

WILMA has been operating since 2016, successfully organising events and various initiatives to further the committee’s objectives. While the committee’s mission focuses on female members, WILMA encourages all APLMA members to attend events.

WILMA events and initiatives are open to all APLMA members as part of their corporate membership, with a list of members provided on the APLMA website. APLMA members include banks, nonbank financial institutions, law firms, insurers, government and rating agencies, as well as data and other service providers.

APLMA regularly holds professional development and technical events throughout the year, as well organising educational courses for members.

WILMA prides itself on hosting and organising a varied agenda of events as part of the APLMA calendar, providing professional development opportunities for members.

After two years of virtual gatherings, WILMA was excited to hold an inaugural APLMA Women in Loan Markets Australia panel and roundtable lunch in July 2022.

The event’s format comprised a panel discussion with senior market leaders focused on a diverse range of topics including the current state of debt markets, select issues affecting the industry, and perspectives on career journeys and advice. The panel discussion was followed by smaller group roundtables of attendees with individual panellists and market leaders to create a supportive environment to engage in quality conversations leveraging on themes from the panel.

Given the success of the event, the committee looks forward to hosting a similar session in 2023 alongside other WILMA events.