This morning, a bronze statue of a young girl appeared in front of the famous bronze bull on Wall Street in New York City.
The timing is no accident—asset management firm State Street Global Advisors installed the sculpture the day before International Women's Day as part of a new campaign to encourage companies to add more women to their boards, the firm told Business Insider.
One of the world's largest asset managers, State Street issued a statement to accompany the plaque on the base of the four-foot-tall "Fearless Girl" statue that reads, "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference."
ltr">We’re bringing the power of women in leadership to life – right here in the center of our financial markets. pic.twitter.com/AqW492AZXJ
— State Street (@StateStreet) March 7, 2017
"We believe good corporate governance is a function of strong, effective and independent board leadership," Ron O'Hanley, president and chief executive officer of SSGA, says in the statement. "A key contributor to effective independent board leadership is
For her part, Kristin Visbal, the artist who created the sculpture, told the Wall Street Journal she sees "it as a piece that every woman can and should relate to. The bull is symbolic of every issue coming down the pike, that they can stand firm and hold their ground and deal with it."
The statue is expected to remain there for a month
"Wall Street is a traditionally male environment and it says 'hey we're here,'" she added. "To me, it says a woman can be delicate and petite, but strong."
This story originally appeared on Townandcountrymag.com.
* Minor edits have been made by the
