# City event announced to fund charities affected by Presidents Club dinner scandal

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/01/26/city-event-announced-fund-charities-affected-presidents-club-dinner-scandal/
- Published: 2018-01-26T09:37:08+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Dame Helena Morrissey CBE has announced that she is working with City of London
colleagues to put on a fundraising event to help those charities affected by the
scandal of last week’s Presidents Club fundraising dinner.**

[Dame Helena](https://twitter.com/morrisseyhelena) is the head of personal investing
at Legal & General Investment Management. Her event will also take the form of a
fundraising dinner but, in marked contrast to the men-only guest approach of the
[Presidents Club event](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/01/24/charities-condemn-presidents-club-wake-ft-investigation/),
it will feature a 50-50 gender split in guests. 

![Dame Helena Morrissey CBE](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2018/01/dame-helena-
morrissey-600.jpg)

_Dame Helena Morrissey CBE_

After 15 years as CEO of investment management firm Newton, Morrissey is now Chair
of the Investment Association, the UK’s industry trade body whose members manage
more than £5 trillion.

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

In 2010 she set up [The 30% Club](https://twitter.com/30percentclub). A group of
Chairs and CEOs committed to better gender balance through voluntary action, it 
is now a global initiative. She is also author of [A good time to be a girl](https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008241605/a-good-time-to-be-a-girl),
published next month.

## Rewarding charities for doing the right thing?

> Second children's hospital Evelina London to return [#PresidentsClub](https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentsClub?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> donations amid sexual harassment allegations [https://t.co/nRGbhEovn5](https://t.co/nRGbhEovn5)
> [pic.twitter.com/hRG8JyKCge](https://t.co/hRG8JyKCge)
> — HuffPost UK (@HuffPostUK) [January 24, 2018](https://twitter.com/HuffPostUK/status/956146671808864259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

 

She told The Daily Telegraph: “We’re looking to raise money for those charities 
who felt compelled to hand back proceeds from that dinner,” she said. “We want to
make sure they don’t lose out.”

[Writing in the newspaper](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/01/25/ignore-dinosaurs-presidents-club-city-changing-better/)
she added: “It would be a real shame, and risk perpetuating the ‘old’ system, if
people were put off entering the City because the Presidents Club is what they think
business will be like.”

No date for the event has yet been confirmed, but it will be hosted by the Lord 
Mayor at Mansion House. Nor has it been confirmed whether it will be an annual fundraising
event.

Given the opprobrium heaped on the behaviour towards women hostesses at the [Presidents Club’s dinner](https://twitter.com/morrisseyhelena),
and the efforts of many at the event to distance themselves from association with
it, it is not surprising that many companies and individuals have voiced support
for this event. M&G, Aviva, Schroders and PwC have already announced their support.

> Asset managers first to sign up to Dame Helena Morrissey event to raise cash for
> charities [https://t.co/juOEjO78LG](https://t.co/juOEjO78LG) via [@investmentweek](https://twitter.com/InvestmentWeek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> — Cathy Brennan (@cathygb75) [January 26, 2018](https://twitter.com/cathygb75/status/956816990974472192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> *hero alert*
> Take a bow Dame Helena Morrissey 👊👊👊[https://t.co/wYdq0QfaRi](https://t.co/wYdq0QfaRi)
> — Joel Voysey (@joelvoysey) [January 25, 2018](https://twitter.com/joelvoysey/status/956625079781220352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader-
2x.gif)