VETERANS ON WALL STREET: WHO WE ARE
Established in 2010, Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS) is an initiative dedicated to honoring former and current military personnel by facilitating career and business opportunities in the financial services industry. With the help of its strategic charity partner, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, and through a combination of educational initiatives, mentoring, outreach to the military, employee affinity groups, and an annual conference, VOWS promotes career development, support, and retention of veterans throughout the global financial services industry.
VOWS pledges:
To continually recognize and support our country’s service members and their families in peace, in crises and in war.- To fully recognize, honor and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA).
- To ensure their managers and supervisors will have the tools they need to effectively manage those employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
HISTORY OF VOWS
2010
VOWS is founded as a 3-year coalition of 5 bulge-bracket firms to raise awareness and share best practices for hiring transitioning veterans seeking jobs on Wall Street.
2013
VOWS renews its mission based on industry interest; partners with the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
Raises over $1,000,000 for veteran causes.
22 sell side firms, vendors and industry allies participate.
2015
VOWS expands remit to year-round events; launches Task Force; expands employment conference to include corporate clients as well as transitioning veterans; widely recognized and praised on Capital Hill and among military circles.
52 buy and sell side member firms.
2019
Veterans on Wall Street engages year round efforts with over 100 active partners across the financial services industry and beyond.
Annual conference cited as industry leading and emulated by other industries.
Well-established among the media, military, local government and Washington brass, attracting incoming interest in meetings and discussions on veteran hiring.
Regional offshoots in San Fran, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Charlotte, and Jacksonville.
wVOWS launched to focus on female veterans.
Over $10 million raised for charity.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Our collaborative efforts are designed to:
Demonstrate the value of veterans and service men and women in the workforce- Engage in combined, informed charitable giving to best-inclass veteran-focused organizations through our strategic philanthropy partnership with the Bob Woodruff Foundation
- Manage our efforts through a non-competitive, central governance body with equal representation of each partner firm
- Contribute and volunteer those resources requisite to achieving our goals
- Continue with our individual efforts, leveraging Veterans on Wall Street to share best practices, increase network capacity and coordinate effort to greater effect than would be possible as individual efforts.
EXPANDING OUR REACH
Since its establishment six years ago, VOWS has grown and evolved to meet the changing needs of our veterans as they embark on the next chapter after their time in uniform.
Veterans on Wall Street:
Centralized, ongoing engagement in New York- wVOWS:
Striving to raise awareness about women veterans, support their unique transition needs and establish a strong support network for women veterans - VOWS Chapters:
A formula for building new networks around the country
OUR FOOTPRINT: COAST TO COAST
With close to 100 partner companies and firms in our growing VOWS network, our reach extends from coast to coast.
A quarter million veterans transition from active duty each year, returning to communities and opportunity around the country. VOWS has extended its presence into cities around the country, positively impacting transitioning veterans and prospective employers. Currently VOWS has nine chapters throughout the US including the National Chapter in New York City.
VOWS PARTNER COMPANIES
Since 2010, more than 100 companies and organizations have come together as partners within Veterans on Wall Street.
AB
Aberdeen
ABR Management
Academy Securities
AIG
Alpine
Amur
Ancapa Partners
Apollo
AXA
Axonic Capital
Bain
Balyasny
Barclays
BlackRock
Bloomberg
BNY Mellon
Bob Woodruff Foundation
Broadridge
Brown Brothers Harriman
CAA
Caspian Capital
CAVU Securities
Charles Schwab
Citi
CME Group
Credit Suisse
Credit Value Partners
Deloitte
Deutsche Bank
DKC News
Drexel Hamilton
DTCC
Ernst & Young
Eurex
Evercore
FDM
Fitch
GE
Goldman Sachs
Guggenheim
Hickey Freeman
HSBC
ICE
IEX
JLL
JPMorgan Chase
KCG
Keybank
KKR
LCH
Legg Mason
LinkedIn
Macquarie
Marathon
Metlife
Mischler
Moelis
Monster
Moody's
Morgan Stanley
NASDAQ
Natixis
New York Life
Ogilvy
Oppenheimer & Co
PayPal
Pfizer
PIMCO
PMI
PNC Bank
Point 72
Prudential
RBC
Sharp Decisions
Societe Generale
State Street
Stifel
TD Ameritrade
TIAA-CREF
UBS
Vanguard
Verizon
Virtu Financial
WAMCO
Warburg
Wellington
Wells Fargo
VOWS PARTNER BENEFITS
Recruiting and Retention
VOWS assists firms with recruiting and retention through shared best practices, our internal veteran recruitment distribution list, and through cross-industry events and symposiums which facilitate career and business opportunities for veterans.
Learn from Leading Firms
The VOWS network is large and cuts across industries. VOWS events provide an opportunity for employees to engage in the veteran community. Our members frequently discuss a range of veteran industry challenges to share best practices and learn from industry leaders.
Branding
VOWS provides a platform branding opportunities for sponsoring firms at an array of events including the annual Stand Up for Heroes in New York City’s Hulu Theater at
Madison Square Garden, and many other events yearround.
Community Engagement
VOWS provides constant opportunities for employees to participate in various events, network with veterans, other VOWS partners and VIPs; showcasing the commitment to your employees and the community.
BOB WOODRUFF FOUNDATION &
STAND UP FOR HEROES
Through our strategic partnership with the Bob Woodruff Foundation, VOWS offers partners the opportunity to achieve high-profile brand recognition through the Presenting Partner level at the annual Stand Up for Heroes event in New York.
VOWS partner companies have helped raise over $10 million dollars to support the current and emerging needs of veterans, their families and caregivers through the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
Each year, Stand Up for Heroes provides world-class comedy and musical performances, an exclusive C-Suite networking reception, and the best client entertainment and business relationship-building forum in New York.
To learn more about the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s mission, visit BobWoodruffFoundation.org.
CREATING OPPORTUNITY THROUGH ENGAGEMENT
Since its inception, VOWS has hosted and participated in over 100 major events nationwide. Events are one of the most valuable elements of VOWS partnership, contributing directly to the enhancement of veteran employee resource groups at partner companies, sharing best practices across the industry, and raising essential funds to support the current and emerging needs of the veteran population.
ANNUAL VOWS SYMPOSIUM
The Annual VOWS Symposium convenes leading thinkers and stakeholders from the financial services industry, nonprofits dedicated to serving the veteran population, and the government to discuss veteran employment challenges and successes.
- The 2019 VOWS Symposium, November 4 at The Shed in Hudson Yards, will explore current, high-priority issues related to veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce with a targeted focus on veteran retention and performance.
- Following the success of prior VOWS Symposiums, the 2019 Symposium will elevate industry awareness of and draw broader attention to successful veterans’ employment initiatives, furthering the conversation and amplifying our concerted efforts and collective impact.
- Prior guest speakers, experts, and leaders have included General Martin Dempsey, 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Secretary Robert McDonald, Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Bob Woodruff, ABC News Correspondent; and Brigadier General Loree Sutton, Commissioner of Veterans Affairs.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Annual Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS) Symposium | November 4, 2019 | NYC
- Stand Up for Heroes | November 4, 2019 | NYC
POINTS OF CONTACT
For more information on becoming a sponsor, fill out the following form.
For the downloadable & printable VOWS Sponsorship Deck, click here.
Make An Impact
Interested in more? Have an idea for an event that may benefit a veteran seeking a career? Learn more about becoming a sponsor.