Q1. What or who inspired you to work in investing?

My father is a businessman, and I grew up moving homes as he travelled for work across the world. As a result, I was very keen to make sense of the world with a particular curiosity for those big subjects such as business, finance and economics which seemed to be key topics wherever we moved to.From that, my interest in the internationality of business and economics was born. To this day, I am continually fascinated by the companies I meet,and the people and perspectives I come across. I find very engaging the variety of developments within the investment world – from A.I, to electric vehicles and ESG, all the way to the impact of the pandemic on healthcare.

Q2. What do you think the future looks like for women in investing?

What would you like to see?I am an optimist and I believe the future for women in this industry is very exciting. But as we all know, there is still a long way to go in achieving real and true diversity equity, and inclusion.The number of women in senior management committee roles at the top is low and there is not much diversity with that. At Capital Group, more than 50% of our associates globally are women, and 36% of our senior managers are women. Our target by 2025 is to have at least 40% of our senior manager population be women. Significant strides are being made across the board, but I would like to see firmer and clearer commitments from all participants in the industry. Practical steps that detail the road to change must be clearly stated and matched with commensurate action.I am excited at what is happening at the entry level. As an industry, we are no longer just hiring from the same mould. We are now actively trying to break the mould of ethnicity, economic background, and orientation. It is now more about skill and talent, and that is great. Yes, we are breaking the mould and as we do that,we must have front and centre of our minds the mentoring and guiding of these new talented women coming in.

Q3. What is your attitude to investment risk?

In looking at risk, the ability to distil and understand all aspects of the decision that one is taking is crucial. It is easy to be blinded by the magnitude of the potential outcome if it is positive. However, outcome may not always be visible and so taking a long term view often helps in giving a clear runway for one’s outcomes to fully crystalise.The important thing is making an informed decision and having clarity on one’s runways and timescales. These help in better understanding the outcomes one is after.

Q4. If you had a superpower, what would it be?

To be fearless about being me.One of the buzzwords or phrases we have heard repeatedly over the last few years is this notion of “bringing your entire self to work” – and though it sounds cliché, it matters. More importantly, there is truth to it. In my current role, I wholeheartedly embrace that notion. As a woman, and a member of the LGBT community, fully occupying the spaces that I am in matters significantly. I understand the merits and appreciate the advantages that are unlocked when one is able to bring one’s entire personality and character to the job. As co-chair of Capital Group’s Pride community, I am honoured to be able to encourage others to be comfortable in being their authentic selves at work.Celebrating diversity in the fullest sense of the word can only ever have a positive impact.

Q5. Tell us your motto or if you don’t live by one, why not?

Whichever way you look at it, the investment industry is fundamentally a service industry. I have always lived by the code that I am entrusted with managing someone else’s money. The money we have the privilege of managing belongs to our clients. The responsibility of helping enable people to achieve their life goals through our successful investing is one I cherish. My motto is to never lose sight of purpose in serving the client.