Octagon’s DEI Mission Statement

Our mission is to strive to create an organizational culture where a diversity of voices is valued, people have a sense of connection with one another and to the organization, and all employees feel empowered to contribute their best work. We believe our diverse perspectives and experiences enable us to best serve our clients with customized solutions and optimal investment results.

Octagon is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture that provides the Firm's clients a range of perspectives and experiences.

Click here to learn about our commitment to address injustice, prejudice, and racism.

Octagon has zero tolerance for violence, racism, or discrimination against any group and in any form.

Click here to read about our inclusive policies that demonstrate zero tolerance for hatred or exclusion in our workplace.

GLOBAL DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION COUNCIL

The CHL (Conning Holdings Limited*) Global Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council promotes the diverse representation of our workforce and leads actions to make Octagon a more inclusive and equitable workplace by providing strategic direction and recommendations to senior management with respect to ongoing DEI efforts. Connor Dugan (Principal) and Arlene Wang (Senior Associate) are members of the DEI Council.
OUR INCLUSIVE CULTURE
We are committed to promoting a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion through policy recommendations and initiatives in our organization.

GIVING BACK

Through the Firm's Volunteer Group Program, Octagon seeks to partner with organizations that provide professional development for underrepresented groups as well as provide volunteer opportunities for employees to give back to the communities where we live and work.

PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION ASSISTANCE

Octagon encourages its employees to pursue professional designations for both personal and career development. We provide reimbursement and paid study time for sponsored designation programs upon successful completion of select exams.

WELLNESS INITIATIVES & BENEFITS

We advocate healthy lifestyle choices by offering:
  • Annual Flu Shots: When in office, we offer in-office annual flu shots to all employees.
  • Healthy Snacks: Occasionally, we have deliveries of fresh fruit or vegetables from local farms/vendors.
  • Commuter Benefits: Octagon offers commuter benefits which allows employees to use pre-tax money to pay for qualified transit and parking expenses.
  • Benefits: Octagon offers medical, prescription, dental, and vision benefits to all employees. Octagon also offers additional resources and discounts to support employees’ physical, emotional, financial, and social health through Insperity (Octagon's benefits and human resources administrative services provider).
  • Established Employee Resource Groups ("ERGs") through our parent company, Conning:
    • The Young Professionals ("YP") Group
    • The Women's Initiative Network ("WIN")
    • SPECTRUM, LGBTQIA+ and Allies Network
  • Family Friendly Programs: Octagon understands the importance of work-life balance and a healthy family life. The efforts below reflect our initiative to provide our employees the tools to fulfill their duties at work and at home.
    • 12 weeks of paid time off for the birth, adoption, or placement of a new child for primary care givers
    • Parental leave for secondary caregivers in connection with the birth, adoption or placement of a new child
    • A dedicated one-on-one support guide through the service ‘Cleo’ for expecting or recent parents
    • “Welcome baby” gifts
    • On-site mother’s room
    • Flexible arrangements for family planning, including time for doctor appointments, etc.

RECOGNITION

Gretchen Lam was featured in the Wall Street Journal article, “Women Claim New Turf on Wall Street,” published on February 2, 2019.
 
TALENT
We are committed to a recruiting and hiring strategy that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion.

RECRUITMENT PRACTICES

  • Octagon recruits with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we have taken steps to proactively seek out diverse pools of candidates.
  • We endeavor to recruit from a wide range of colleges and universities.
  • Octagon believes that providing a challenging and rewarding career, combined with a supportive work environment, incents employees to remain at the Firm.
 
 
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Octagon is focused on developing skills and competencies supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Octagon has a mentorship program for all employees, which is designed to support the personal growth and career development through selective one-to-one pairing with more tenured, experienced employees. Mentoring competencies include guiding, coaching, skill gap identification, listening skills, interpersonal skills, and leadership.

 

 

*Conning, Inc., Octagon Credit Investors, LLC, Global Evolution Holding ApS and its group of companies (“Global Evolution”), Goodwin Capital Advisers, Inc., Pearlmark Real Estate, LLC, Conning Investment Products, Inc., Conning Asset Management Limited, and Conning Asia Pacific Limited are all direct or indirect subsidiaries of Conning Holdings Limited (collectively, “Conning”) which is one of the family of companies owned by Cathay Financial Holding Co., Ltd., a Taiwan-based company.