A former senior fund selector at Aviva Investors has launched a new support network for women in asset management.
Bhavini Shah launched the network ‘City Hive’, which has the backing of 15 fund groups, last week at an event that brought together the UK’s women in finance community.
With a background in investment, Shah worked at Aviva Investors from 2007 until November 2015, where she worked her way up to senior multi-manager analyst. Previously she worked as a funds analyst at Merchant Securities and junior investments manager at HSBC Investments.
Discussing the launch Shah said: “I am not interested in gender diversity for the sake of it. It is about giving women genuine tangible support to survive and thrive in the corporate jungle, whether it is through specialised skills or a supportive network.
“It is also important to ensure the pipeline is cultivated from the schoolroom by simply letting girls know this career opportunity exists, removing the mystique and stigma around this area of the financial industry.”
Research published by the Financial Times recently found that despite best efforts from groups to improve female representation in the asset management sector, the number of females running investment funds has not increased since the financial crisis.
Shah added: “Once we have female talent at the table, our role is to support the women who come through and campaign to improve the working environment for them so they can progress through the bumpy middle with fewer barriers to the top.”
The new network is being supported by Amundi AM, Artemis IM, BlackRock, BNY Mellon, Fidelity International, Hermes IM, Invesco Perpetual, Jupiter AM, Kepler Partners, Legg Mason, M&G Investments, Macquarie IM, Pictet AM, PIMCO and Twenty Four AM.
