The NYSE’s youngest female trader on diversity in finance: Employers need ‘to stop making plans and just do it’

The NYSE’s youngest female trader on diversity in finance: Employers need ‘to stop making plans and just do it’

NYSE youngest female trader Lauren Simmons on diversity in finance

As the youngest-ever female trader at the New York Stock Exchange, Lauren Simmons knows all about the importance of diversity and inclusion in finance. 

In 2017 when she joined Rosenblatt Securities at 22 years old, she was also just the second African American female trader in NYSE history. Though she's grateful for her experience on the trading floor, the now 25-year-old says it's long overdue for the financial industry to "stop making plans" about diversity and inclusion and "just do it."

"I think we have had enough time to make enough plans on what diversity looks like and what the importance of it is," she said in a recent interview on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." Simmons explains that she would love to see more diversity and inclusion in the industry, especially as it pertains to Black Americans and people of color. 

NYSE trader/broker Lauren Simmons

When looking at the financial services field today, data shows that women and men make up equal parts of the entry-level workforce. But, as you move higher up the ranks, large gaps exists with women making up just 19% of C-suite positions, according to a 2018 report from