What the Crisis Has Shown Asset Managers: Industry Leaders Speak Out
by Maha Khan Phillips
Originally published by the CFA Society UK
The Covid 19 crisis has fundamentally changed things, not least for the asset management industry. Whether it is about focusing on their social purpose, highlighting the importance of staying calm, emphasising leadership, arguing about the need for active management, the development of a systems framework for investing, or stressing the need for sustainability and other key factors, senior leaders tell Professional Investor what the crisis has highlighted for them.
Marie Dzanis
Head of EMEA, Northern Trust Asset Management:
People are everything. As leaders, we need to assess our teams, empower those who are willing and able to help in a crisis, and look after those who need support.
Crisis makes leaders. In an industry with well-thought out processes, best practices and governance procedures, we are in new territory. You can learn a lot about a person during the good times together, but you learn everything about them in crisis. Diversity matters. Getting the most out of a diverse team’s myriad of perspectives helps you come to better decisions. Focus on what’s important. Zoom out and prioritize rigorously using the best available facts. This situation is unprecedented, and keeping the long term in mind while staying true to core values can centre us on what’s important.
