I am a British Asian woman born and raised in the UK. I read Law and Criminology at University, then started my career in the legal profession in 2008. It was there that I first noticed that barely anyone at a senior level had the same ethnic background as I did. I then moved into compliance consultancy where I was responsible for advisory and regulatory project work for clients, ranging from banks and hedge funds, to asset managers and private equity firms. I was the only woman in my team and once again felt the very real absence of diversity. I then moved in-house to Jupiter Asset Management Ltd where I was a Senior Compliance Adviser.
My regulatory work lends itself well to diversity, inclusion and culture within the financial services industry as this has become a real industry-wide focus in recent years. Coupled with my personal passion to contribute towards a greater voice for women (and particularly ethnic minorities), it is a great time to shine a light on how we can proactively, and pragmatically, foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace, particularly at senior levels.
I am now a Director at Barings within its Compliance team, and as a founding (and active committee) member of our Women’s Network in Europe, I have contributed to a number of events such as ‘She Can Be’ and ‘See the Possibilities’ aimed at school and university students from different backgrounds. I am also a member of the firm’s culture initiative group and continue to maintain an active interest in how we can better engage with diversity in challenging working environments.