Fearless Girl shatters glass ceiling beyond the boardroom

Fearless Girl is celebrating her fourth anniversary on International Women’s Day by shattering glass ceilings in the workplace. 

Almost 1,500 companies around the world had zero women on their boards in 2017, the year when State Street Global Advisors installed its famous Fearless Girl statue staring down the Charging Bull on Wall Street. 

Since that bold statement, 58% of those companies (862) have added at least one female director. State Street Global Advisors itself promoted Lori Heinel to global chief investment officer, marking the first time a woman has held the position at the firm. 

This year, State Street Global Advisors built on its iconic campaign for the fourth year running with a visual representation of that milestone. The firm installed a large, shattered glass ceiling around Fearless Girl on Wall Street to symbolize the women who have broken ceilings within the past year.  

The effort is a tribute to women like Kamala Harris, who became the first female Vice President of the United States, and countless other women who have advanced to leadership roles around the world. The campaign also calls on companies to continue to create gender diversity on their boards.

“On the 4th year anniversary of our Fearless Girl campaign, we wanted to find an optimistic and visually emotive way to celebrate the major progress since 2017, while acknowledging the work still to be done,” Stephen Tisdalle, chief marketing officer, State Street Global Advisors, told Campaign US in a statement.

Architect Merica May Jensen worked on the project, along with glass expert Sophie Pennetier and photographer Sophy Holland. McCann, which launched the Fearless Girl campaign back in 2017, was the creative agency.

“We’ve leveraged the idea of ‘breaking glass ceilings’ to create this dramatic representation around the Fearless Girl statue of how women continue to break through glass ceilings beyond the board room, in senior leadership roles, especially within the past year,” Tisdalle added. “State Street Global Advisors has sought to push through a crowded category with a unique voice and perspective on the factors that influence long term performance for investor portfolios.”

Fearless Girl, a bronze statue created by Kristen Visbal, was installed to mark International Women’s Day in March 2017. The four feet tall figure depicts a young girl standing with her hands on her hips and an upturned head. 

Fearless Girl was originally placed outside the iconic Charging Bull statue near the New York Stock Exchange Building in the Financial District in Manhattan.