Girls Who Invest Founder Seema R. Hingorani to Be Honored at Bates College Commencement for Leadership in Finance and Women’s Empowerment
LEWISTON, Maine— Seema R. Hingorani, an investment executive at Morgan Stanley and founder of Girls Who Invest, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Bates College’s 160th Commencement ceremony on May 31, 2026, recognizing her decades-long impact in finance and her efforts to expand opportunities for women in the industry.
Hingorani, who brings more than 30 years of investment experience across both the private and public sectors, currently serves as managing director, senior client advisor, and a member of the Operating Committee at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. In her leadership role, she focuses on strategic client relationships, developing investment talent, and advancing diversity initiatives within the firm.
Beyond her corporate leadership, Hingorani is widely recognized for founding Girls Who Invest in 2015, a national nonprofit aimed at addressing gender inequity in portfolio management and executive leadership. The organization provides education, paid internships, and ongoing mentorship to young women pursuing careers in investment management. Over the past decade, more than 4,000 college women have participated in its programs, with a significant majority remaining in the finance industry—helping to reshape representation in a traditionally male-dominated field.
Hingorani earned her undergraduate degrees in psychology and philosophy from Yale University and an MBA in finance from The Wharton School.
She is one of four honorary degree recipients at this year’s commencement, joining historian and best-selling author Deborah Harkness, economist H. Scott Bierman, and biologist Ru Gunawardane. Harkness will also deliver the commencement address.
“We are delighted to be honoring four outstanding and accomplished individuals,” said Garry W. Jenkins, president of Bates College. “Each of them has made meaningful contributions to the world and to human understanding.”
The commencement ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. on the college’s Historic Quad, with a livestream available through Bates College platforms.
Hingorani’s recognition underscores a broader shift within the financial sector toward inclusion and access—work she has championed through both institutional leadership and nonprofit innovation.
