Our people hero
Social Responsibility
Promoting diversity and inclusion
Our people intro
Our people power our business – their success is our success. MSCI is committed to creating a performance culture of high employee engagement where every employee takes personal ownership and responsibility for their performance, career and professional growth. Our talent and leadership development programs are designed to ensure we have the leadership and talent pipeline in place to deliver on MSCI’s strategy, and our diverse workforce and inclusive work environment are critical to our success.
MSCI is an international company with a highly diverse global footprint. At MSCI, diversity is at our core and inclusion defines our culture. Our people are empowered to maximize their potential in an environment where all individuals are respected and encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work. This culture drives us to innovate and provide industry-leading solutions that power better investment decisions.
Increasing our diversity expands our talent pool which helps to accelerate innovation in all we do. Inclusion is highly correlated to driving engagement at MSCI which drives company performance and shareholders' value creation. We are dedicated to hiring and promoting qualified candidates historically underrepresented in our industry, including women, ethnic minorities and those in the LGBT+ community.
From the composition of our Board of Directors (30% female and 20% people of color) and management team to our diversity and inclusion programs, we are deeply committed to global diversity and an inclusive culture where people can be their authentic selves. Our Board of Directors’ Compensation & Talent Management Committee, at least annually, reviews our diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives.
Our Executive Committee is comprised of one female (Global Head of Index and Corporate Responsibility Officer) and four people of color, including our CEO, Henry Fernandez. In 2020, 45% of our Managing Director Promotions were female and 55% were people of color.
At MSCI, diversity is at our core and inclusion defines our culture. Our people are empowered to maximize their potential in an environment where all individuals are respected and encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work. This culture drives us to innovate and provide industry-leading solutions that power better investment decisions.
-Mission Statement developed by 2019 Executive Diversity Council
Executive Diversity Council
Our Annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit
The Chief Executive Officer, President & Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Head of Index & Chief Responsibility Officer, Head of Analytics & Chair of the Executive Diversity Council and other Executive Committee members sponsored MSCI’s annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit attended by high performing women, MSCI Pride leaders and members of the Executive Diversity Council.
Our people - tabs
Mentoring
Initiatives
Mentoring
InitiativesCommunity
OutreachEmployee Resource
GroupsWomen's Leadership
ForumMSCIPride
Our Women’s Leadership Summit attendees participate in a formal sponsorship/mentorship program in which Executive Committee and Managing Directors at the firm participate as sponsors and mentors. Women who attend the Summit are provided formal development by extending the learning throughout the year via virtual training sessions. The Executive Committee and Managing Directors provide sponsorship and mentoring to the mentees via a series of structured meetings with a focus on development goals and objectives. In addition, formal learning opportunities are provided via virtual training sessions.
In 2019, we launched our Global Mentorship Steering Committee whose mission is to support existing mentorship efforts and to facilitate the creation of additional mentorship programs globally across MSCI. The committee launched two regional mentorship programs since its inception:
- Americas Mentorship Program, launched in the Fall of 2019 that spanned four countries and 11 offices with a 23% participation rate across the region.
- Combined EMEA and APAC Mentorship Program, launched in the Spring of 2020, with a 14% participation rate across 22 offices and 17 countries.
MSCI sponsors many outstanding organizations with diversity and inclusive missions, including:
- Pencils of Promise, a global organization that builds schools and creates programs around the goal of education for all.
- MSCI sponsored the Latinos in Finance 11th Annual Finance Bootcamp which educates students on finance careers to expand the pipeline of Latino professionals.
- Oliver Scholars, which prepares high achieving Black and Latino students from underserved New York communities for success at top independent schools and colleges.
- Our New York Philanthropy group has supported and participated in several events with children of incarcerated parents through the organization Children of Promise.
- This past July 2019, MSCI employees across the Americas participated in our second annual Volunteer Month, where employees from each local office volunteered to make a meaningful impact in their communities. Employees from 12 cities came together to support underprivileged children, homeless shelters, elderly communities and our environment.
MSCI sponsors four employee resource groups and we build on this foundation to further a highly inclusive and diverse culture. The groups are the Women’s Leadership Forum, MSCIPride, Black Leadership Network and Eco-Groups. Each group promotes inclusion and diversity with a broad range of actions that include MSCI employees, MSCI clients and our communities. We encourage and empower our employees to create new Employee Resource Groups and establish communities within the firm to help people bring their authentic selves to work.
Guided by a leadership team of seven women that includes the Head of Index and Chief Responsibility Officer as the Executive Sponsor, the Women’s Leadership Forum (“WLF”) promotes leadership skill development. The WLF mission is “Inspiring and Encouraging Leaders”.
- 23 chapters across 17 countries, headed by 50 leaders plus a newly formed External Engagements and Partnerships Committee of three leaders.
- Celebrated International Women’s Day 2020 through “Walk for Equality” events across the globe.
- MSCI is a Silver level corporate sponsor of Women in ETFs (WE).
- MSCI is a sponsor of Catalyst, a leading non-profit working to “remove barriers and drive change and advance women into leadership.”
- In 2020, a new Women in Tech (WIT) group was launched as part of the WLF, sponsored by our Chief Technology Officer, with a mission to create a community across MSCI for women in technical roles.
MSCI Pride, established in 2018 with a mission to provide LGBT+ employees and allies with a group forum to help create an inclusive culture where all MSCI employees can be their authentic selves by raising awareness through education and community building, engaging with leading LGBT+ organizations and key client partners and advancing MSCI LGBT+ policies and protections around the world.
- Each year, MSCI celebrates Pride Month through local office celebrations of Pride Month as well as educational and some client networking events to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
- In 2019, MSCI became a member of Out Leadership, which is a global LGBT+ business network for CEOs and multinational companies that runs global executive events, research, and talent accelerators. In 2020, the MSCI NY office hosted an Out Leadership Global Leadership Committee meeting with members from other firms.
- The MSCI Pride Allies Program, sponsored by the CFO, is part of our MSCI Pride employee resource group. The program provides resources and education to inform and empower every employee on how to be an Ally for the LGBT+ community.
Our People - BLN and Eco
| Black Leadership Network |
The Black Leadership Network, recently launched in June 2020, has a mission to promote the recruitment, leadership, development and recognition of Black employees at MSCI. Sponsored by two Executive Committee Members (General Counsel and Head of ESG Product), the BLN is an employee-driven initiative that will seek to attract, develop and retain Black employees through increased and focused recruiting, mentorship, professional development and networking opportunities. |
| Eco Groups |
As part of the company’s Corporate Responsibility efforts, in 2019, the MSCI Eco Group employee resource group was launched to educate and increase awareness of critical environmental issues and challenges. Global, regional and local chapter heads were created to drive these initiatives through events, communications and implementing eco-friendly best practices. |
Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and Inclusion
MSCI is an international company with a highly diverse global footprint, diversity, is at our core and inclusion defines our culture.
Cultivating Talent and Employee Engagement
Cultivating Talent and Employee Engagement
MSCI is committed to creating a performance and growth culture of high employee engagement, where every employee takes personal ownership of their performance, career and professional growth to better serve our stakeholders.
Ensuring Benefits, Wellness and Safety
Ensuring Benefits, Wellness and Safety
MSCI offers a broad range of highly competitive benefits to our employees and their families, including same sex domestic partners.
Our people - awards
Awards
In 2019, our CEO, Henry Fernandez, was named one of the 13 founding member CEOs of the NYSE Board Advisory Council, which is responsible for advancing board diversity by connecting diverse candidates with open board seats.

MSCI’s Norman office was recently certified as a 2019 Oklahoma Family Positive Workplace. The certification was granted by the Potts Family Foundation, a non-profit, as part of their OK 25 by 25 initiative to improve Oklahoma's rankings of early childhood wellbeing to the top 25 states by 2025. The organization evaluates applicants based on their implementation of practices and policies that support families and provide ways for employees to more easily balance family and work obligations.
Toronto was a final candidate for Women in Finance Awards in Canada.
Women’s Forum of New York honored MSCI for accelerating gender parity in the boardroom at the 2019 Breakfast of Corporate Champions.