Image of Martina Ashley

Martina Ashley

I was the first person in my family to go to University and started my career at Goldman Sachs before transitioning to executive search where I now lead the investment management team at Blackwood, advising a wide range of clients on hires in investment and distribution. I also lead the firm’s D&I initiatives.

I am half Italian on my mother’s side and half a total mixture of Egyptian, Syrian and British. My grandfather was advised to change his surname when he arrived in the UK or no one would hire him (in fact what was said was a lot worse than that and unprintable!) Thankfully, attitudes have changed considerably since then and even since I started working in the industry twenty years ago.

However, we have a lot more work to do and I am looking forward to using the platform I have as a human capital advisor to the investment industry to work collaboratively with clients and candidates to improve all forms of diversity in the industry and through that, help our clients achieve sustainable advantage.

I am a mother to two energetic young children and enjoy cooking for my friends and HIIT workouts.

How to get involved

Join as a member firm

Become a member by declaring your firm’s support at
a business level. Apply now and let us know how you can help.

Join as a Partner or a Supporter

Partners and Supporters are companies and organisations within the industry, who do not fall within our Member definition but share our goals and values and agree to amplify the work the Diversity Project does.

Join as an ambassador

Diversity Project Ambassadors are people with a savings and investment background who support the Project’s ambition to accelerate diversity and inclusion in our sector. They advocate inclusion and offer their time and expertise to support the Project’s activities. Please read about the role of an ambassador.