More than 40 students, ranging from 14 to 18 years of age where selected as the cream of the crop in a competition to find the very best next generation of financial experts who may be managing our pensions and ISAs in the years to come.

The girls, who have been taking part in the annual Growing Future Assets Competition, were chosen from over 900 pupils across 100 schools around Scotland. The challenge involves researching potential company investments—this year including Scottish media company STV Group plc, and global tech giants such as Uber Technologies Inc.—and pitching these investments to a panel of professionals, mirroring the work investment managers undertake every day.

The competitors took part in a final round of presentations on 20 March at the headquarters of NatWest Group in Gogarburn, Edinburgh. This year’s judges included senior figures from the investment world such as Mandy Rawlinson, Head of UK and EMEA at Aberdeen Investments, and Sally Greig, Head of Global Bonds and Chief of Investment Staff for Multi Asset and Fixed Income at Baillie Gifford.

Reflecting on her experience as a judge, Mandy Rawlinson said:

“I was hugely impressed by the skills that these girls brought to the task. Many spoke about the misconceptions they had about financial services before the competition. Financial services aren’t widely taught in schools, and Future Asset makes it tangible — showing young girls the realities of the industry and that it’s not just maths and numbers.”

Lasswade High School claimed the Senior Category title, securing £1,000 for their school, while Hamilton Grammar School won the Junior Category, receiving £800. Oban High School achieved a remarkable milestone by finishing as Runner‑Up for the second consecutive year — a first in the competition’s history.

The event sits at the heart of Future Asset’s mission to transform Scotland’s financial sector by inspiring more young women to explore careers in investment and addressing long‑standing gender imbalances across the industry.

The awards ceremony, held at the NatWest/RBS Conference Centre, also welcomed a panel of Future Asset alumnae who previously took part in the competition and have since gone on to pursue opportunities within the financial services sector. Among them were Jenna Donnelly, now an apprentice at M&G in Stirling, and Gabi Nagle, a former Kingussie High School pupil now studying at the University of Edinburgh with a growing interest in sustainable investment. The panel exemplified the growing network of young women shaping their own futures and who may one day manage Scotland’s pensions and investment portfolios.

Future Asset’s influence continues to grow rapidly. Since 2020, the programme has expanded from 13 participating schools to 100, with more than 3,500 students taking part and investment professionals from over 50 firms volunteering as coaches and judges.

Future Asset is an initiative founded by Scotland’s investment management community to encourage girls from all backgrounds to pursue the opportunities offered by careers in finance. In the competition’s six-year history, more than 3,500 girls have taken part, learning key financial skills and gaining the confidence to work with business leaders at the highest level. Alumni have gone on to secure roles at some of the world’s best-known financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and M&G. The project is supported by financial contributions and the efforts of hundreds of professionals who coach and guide the schoolgirls throughout the competition.

Since its founding in 2017, Future Asset—part of the Didasko Financial Education Company—has built a strong and engaged network of young women passionate about pursuing careers in finance. The wider Didasko community focuses on education for all, from school pupils to investment professionals, with the shared goal of helping the finance sector work better for society and Scottish savers.