City Hive

Have you signed up to our press releases? Make sure you do in our revamped press centre: https://lnkd.in/eVtBUBrT #Journalists #InvestorsACT

On Wednesday, the ACT Stewardship Council had their final quarterly meeting of the year. Given the US election result, the conversation raised a number of shared concerns and pondered what this means for the sustainable investment community. However, progress was welcomed on engagement with firms on the ACT Framework and increasing Signatory interest. We also discussed the governance of bad ACTors and the upcoming ACT Collective - more on this next year! Thank you to our hosts RBC BlueBay Asset Management, Erich Gerth, Matthew Rawlings, Laurence Bensafi and Sarah Nazari. And all Stewardship Council attendees: Stuart Derrick Ben Seager-Scott, PhD, CFA Genevra Banszky von Ambroz CAIA FCSI, Abika Martin MCSI DipPFS, Emma Wall, Sophie Kennedy, CFA, Sophie Meatyard, Dewi John, Kalinka Dyankova, Kelly Prior, Mona Christensen, Paris Jordan, CFA, Simon Evan-Cook, Mona Shah, CFA, Shilpan Patel, Ellie Brown, Darren Ruane, Katie Trowsdale, Lucy Walker, Matthew Wiles, Bhavini ‘Bev’ Shah, Mandy Kirby, Natalie Kenway #InvestorsACT For more on the ACT Stewardship Council visit: https://lnkd.in/eufXY98n

How do you think about a company's culture and its brand? How are these linked? “Culture is what defines your organisation, it is who you are to the outside world. It is what you want to be seen as. It is created by the people you have working at the organisation." Read the first part of a series of blogs on the importance of having your values reflected in your culture in partnership with Invesco Ltd. Thank you for your contributions Debbie Clarke, Sachin Bhatia, CFA, Mandy Kirby, Sophie Kennedy, CFA, Stephanie Butcher. https://lnkd.in/em_fyQgN https://lnkd.in/eTPxcdT2

🎊 Congratulations to ACT Stewardship Council and Global Leadership Council member Justin Onuekwusi, CFA, CIO at St. James’s Place', for making the top 10 of the Powerlist 2025! Since 2007, The Powerlist has celebrated the remarkable achievements of Black leaders and influencers who have shaped the UK across fields from business and tech to the arts and public service. Justin has been recognised for his influence in the investment world, particularly in advocating for responsible investing. As the CIO of St. James’s Place, he oversees asset management strategies with a focus on long-term sustainability. His dedication to ESG initiatives - including the ACT Framework, EnCircle Mentoring, #TalkABoutBlack and Reboot - places him at the forefront of ethical investment, making a lasting impact in finance. City Hive is proud to have Justin as a long-term adviser and leading ACT Stewardship Council member. We look forward to continuing to work together to raise corporate culture standards and cultivate a strong talent pipeline for the investment management industry. View The Powerlist 2025: https://lnkd.in/e-AhreY3 For more on Justin: https://lnkd.in/gkqAp3Zb #InvestorsACT #Powerlist2025

***Announcement*** Back by popular demand: City Hive is relaunching its mentoring programme in partnership with EnCircle Mentoring to support the diverse talent pipeline for the investment industry. Mentors, mentees and sponsors from across the investment management industry are invited to apply for the nine-month mentoring programme supporting the advancement of diverse talent. Thank you to our first sponsors WHEB and Federated Hermes Limited. Bhavini ‘Bev’ Shah, co-CEO of City Hive, said: “When it comes to future-proofing the investment industry, we cannot continue to think in silos. Talent is the lifeblood of our industry, and if we are to retain our existing diverse talent and continue to attract the best and brightest new recruits, we must collaborate as an industry rather than trying to go it alone. “Our cross-company mentoring scheme allows firms to work together and demonstrate their commitment to tackling our representation challenge head on and developing the diverse talent pipeline for the benefit of the whole industry.” Justin Onuekwusi, CFA, founder of EnCircle and Chief Investment Officer at St James’s Place, said: “Through this mentoring initiative, we are creating a pipeline of diverse talent equipped to navigate the complexities of tomorrow's financial world with fresh perspectives and enduring values.   “By investing in the next generation through cross-company mentoring, we are not just shaping careers—we are laying the groundwork for a more resilient, innovative, and inclusive investment landscape.” For the full announcement visit our Press Centre: https://lnkd.in/eHqFe8CU If you would like more info about sponsoring the mentoring scheme please visit: https://lnkd.in/eX5MF3Je #Mentoring #DiverseTalent

National Mentoring Day is this Sunday. Lis Merrick at Coach Mentoring Ltd. calls mentoring “a conversation with a purpose”. We love this description and couldn’t agree more. The many benefits of a powerful mentoring relationship include guidance in identifying and achieving professional goals, and the right support in developing the soft and professional skills needed to get there. Today, we’d like to send a shout out to all our wonderful mentors and mentees who have worked together to achieve just this and help make our scheme so successful. Our highly anticipated Cross-Company Mentoring Scheme is returning in 2025. Look out for the full announcement next week! https://lnkd.in/emfu5Rgw #NationalMentoringDay

At the City of London Corporation's City Dinner last week, Mandy Kirby, co-CEO at City Hive noted more optimism amongst guests in the room compared to last year, as the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority called a pro-growth mindset. This, Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, noted includes being bolder - and the shift to focus on outcomes rather than strict tick-box regulation. This aligns strongly with our ACT Framework approach, which emphasises transparency and accountability via narrative reporting - that crucially aligns with the aims of key regulations including Consumer Duty. ➡ There is just a week left to comment on streamlining and how the Consumer Duty interacts with the FCA’s handbook, visit: https://lnkd.in/eQpkzcAe ➡ For more on the ACT Framework: https://lnkd.in/gCfPwhRD #InvestorsACT #ConsumerDuty #ProGrowth

City Hive is delighted to welcome Dan Babington, portfolio manager at TAM Asset Management Ltd to the ACT Stewardship Council. Dan says an environment of poor corporate culture is a harbinger of bad processes, bad decision making and bad headlines for a company - and therefore the industry as a whole. By using the ACT Framework they are able to quantify this previously unquantifiable and under-researched risk. He is also a part of AdviserAction, an initiative facilitated by CCLA Investment Management, which brings advisers under one umbrella to engage directly with companies, and responds to retail investor demands for visible action. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eJAv8Wcg #InvestorsACT

How are asset managers ACT-ing on culture? That was the topic explored in last Thursday afternoon's panel at the Owen James Gaterkeeper's event chaired by City Hive co-CEO Bhavini ‘Bev’ Shah Shah. With panellists: ACT Signatory Firm representative: Alex Matcham, head of UK wholesale distribution at M&G Investments. ACT Stewardship Council members: Simon Evan-Cook, fund manager at Downing and Jake Moeller, associate director - responsible investment at Square Mile Investment Consulting & Research Limited. The conversation explored observations of corporate culture from the perspective of an asset manager and fund selectors, and how the ACT Framework is put into practice from both sides of the coin. Thank you to Owen James for hosting our panel and to all the panellists for your insights and time. For more on the ACT Framework and our recent open letter to data providers and platforms visit: https://lnkd.in/eN6wxpSY #InvestorsACT

➡ Last Thursday, City Hive co-CEOs Bhavini ‘Bev’ Shah and Mandy Kirby joined boutique firms from the Independent Investment Management Initiative to talk about culture, fuelled by a warm welcome from hosts at the WHEB offices. ➡ They discussed the importance of boutiques being able to share what makes their culture stand out, how smaller firms can complete the ACT Framework questionnaire without carrying out lots of extra data collection, and how the ACT Standard is a tool now frequently used by analysts and fund research teams in their due diligence. ⏺ Thank you to WHEB for hosting and Esther Muschamp for sharing your insights as a boutique. ⏺ And thank you to those attending from Bentley Reid, including ACT Stewardship Council member Peter Clark Clark, and representatives from COMGEST, Waverton Investment Management, Evenlode Investment and Findlay Park Partners LLP. #InvestorsACT #Boutiques