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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 25, 2013) - Women in Capital Markets (WCM) launched its inaugural Return to Bay Street Conference today, harnessing support from BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets, Scotiabank and National Bank Financial Markets in a bid to bring women professionals back to the industry after an extended absence.

The conference - designed to educate and support women considering a return to Bay Street - marks the next stage in a movement that started in late 2010, when WCM received funding from BMO Capital Markets to launch the Return to Bay Street Program (RTBS). WCM is a non-profit organization that promotes the entry, advancement and development of women in the capital markets industry.

The RTBS Award - which includes an education grant and a four-month internship for experienced professionals - has so far been awarded to three women, all of whom leveraged the experience into full-time positions in capital markets. The number of internships available this year has increased with BMO Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets, Scotiabank and National Bank Financial Markets all participating in the program and jointly sponsoring the conference.

"I really think we are at a tipping point. The success of programs like Return to Bay Street demonstrate that the industry can retain women over their careers if they take a long term perspective and allow for alternative career paths. These types of initiatives will bring more women back to the capital markets and create a pool of talent for senior leadership positions," said Jennifer Reynolds, President of Women in Capital Markets.

The one-day conference will feature industry leaders from the sponsor banks chairing panels on The Current State of the Canadian Banking Industry - Capital Markets and Insights on Navigating and Creating a Successful Career in Capital Markets. Moderators will include Maria Teresa Blanco, Partner at Oliver Wyman, and Sylvia Apostolidis, Senior Director and Consultant at Catalyst.

The panels will be followed by a presentation from Ritu Bhasin, a consultant who will address the conference in a speech entitled: Reach to Climb - The Importance of Empowered Self-Leadership in your Return to Bay Street. This will be followed by a talk from diversity advisor and strategist Susan Black, who will address the topic of How to be Strategic in your Networking.

About WCM

WCM is a non-profit organization that promotes the entry, advancement and development of women, fosters accountability for diversity and recognizes leaders who have contributed significantly to the advancement of women in the Canadian capital markets industry. Through innovative programming, WCM offers its members diverse and creative opportunities for networking, career growth and personal development, and mentoring and coaching of both students and professionals. For more information, please visit www.wcm.ca.