Studying maths at university meant I was one of only a few women in the room and working in derivatives once I joined the city did not improve that ratio. As my peer group narrowed still further, I expanded my network through chairing 100 Women in Finance and lobbying for change in the industry as a direct investor.
I have worked in the investment industry for twenty-five years across investment banking, asset management and as an investor at the two largest pension schemes in the UK. I have invested in asset classes from passive equities through hedge funds to complex private partnership structures and structured portfolios for liability focussed pension schemes and clients seeking an absolute return.
I have met and invested with some of the best investors in the world. The managers who have created long term sustainable businesses all have a common feature – a real understanding for risk (in its widest sense) and the humility to surround themselves with people who will question them and push them every day to do better.
As the investment outlook worsens, our portfolios will need real diversification to survive. Developing the solutions required for this new approach mean our thinking, and therefore our teams, need to be truly diversified as well.