Patricia M. Voorhees, a consultant with The Alta Group, will moderate the first panel of the day, “Women in Fintech and Investing – Innovating Despite Headwinds,” at the Commercial Equipment Marketplace Council (CEMC) East Coast Roundtable on November 14.

The panelists will include:

• Anne Byrd PhD, president, Extremis Leadership
• Cristina Dolan, co-founder and COO, iXledger
• Alison Andrews Reyes, general partner, 1843 Capital
• Sohini Roy, CFO, Nexseer Capital

Their discussion will center on the value of investing in female-led companies or enterprises with diversity, and they will point to data that shows there is less risk and superior returns in such cases.

The panel will also address the potential impact of the #MeToo movement and how to manage frictions in diverse teams while in the midst of innovation.

“I feel privileged to moderate this panel,” said Voorhees. “This is a critical conversation about a critical time. All of these women are extremely accomplished and have founded start-ups or have been in leadership at innovative companies in technology or financial services.”

The Alta Group was a founding sponsor of the Commercial Equipment Marketplace Council, founded by Currency Capital in 2016. CEMC provides capital providers, online equipment sellers and equipment industry leaders and practitioners with educational seminars and an ongoing exchange of knowledge and ideas.