Memento Charinga | Legal & General Investment Management
Memento has responsibility for designing, executing and managing multi-asset solutions for pension schemes.
She has over 8 years of experience of working with DB pension schemes, having joined LGIM in early 2018 from Aon where she was a product specialist within the fiduciary management team. Memento has a Master’s degree in Actuarial Finance from Imperial College London and an honours degree from Heriot Watt University. Alongside her professional role, Memento works to drive positive change in the industry through her volunteer roles, mentoring and work on various committees.
Memento is passionate about creating opportunities for others and access to education, she works tirelessly with organisations in the UK and in Zimbabwe to help fund education and provide basic support for less fortunate students.
Alexandra Faye | Liontrust Asset Management
I am Alex Faye, a multi-cultural and creative investment professional who has often been the only minority in the room during the thirteen years I have been working in financial services.
I have therefore been leveraging my personal experience as well as sales and marketing skills to make the Investment Management industry more inclusive and more responsible.
For the past three years, I have been driving product strategy and innovation for Architas and now Liontrust, working with our clients to bring to market investment funds with a higher purpose. I care about making a difference in people’s lives, especially women and minorities, by empowering them through financial education and inclusion. Building long-term wealth should not be for the privileged few only, especially as access to low-cost and sustainable funds is increasing. As an industry, it is our responsibility to ensure that we use an inclusive language, devoid of jargon and that our values reflect those of the customers that we serve.
When I am not working, I like to enjoy activities that are helping my wellbeing and mental health such as healthy cooking, singing and gardening. I am now the proud parent of 40 plants, all acquired during lockdown!
I hold an MBA from Southern Illinois University of Carbondale, the Investment Management Certificate (CFA UK) and the ESG certificate (CFA UK).
Ines Uwiteto | Seven Investment Management
Originally from Rwanda and then raised in the UK, I have always valued the importance education.
My desire to ensure that vulnerable communities have access to quality education, information about opportunities and support through mentorship has been an important part of my career.
Whilst I was studying at the London School of Economics, I took part in a one-year after school mentor program that worked with schools in the most deprived areas of London. The following year, over the summer I taught in an orphanage in Tanzania working with students and teachers to improve class structures and fundraising to implement those plans.
I joined HSBC Global Asset Management in 2014 in the Discretionary Wealth Management Team. I managed client relationships, supported the training of new investment specialists and took part in wider team initiatives and experiences. The most memorable in 2017, I climbed Mount Mulanje in Malawi to raise funds for Micro Loan. The charity supports women in Malawi and Zambia in setting up their own self sustainable businesses by providing small loans, ongoing business training and support. The world’s poorest are women and girls and often family responsibilities, local cultures can make the journey to education more challenging, so for me it was important to support an organisation with this focus.
I have always been passionate about sustainability and having joined 7IM it has given me the platform to build upon. I have championed our sustainable investment offering and I am helping to drive our diversity and inclusion agenda. This year we are supporting students from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds to help them explore and understand the financial industry as well providing mentorship.
Emma Burger | Bloomberg
Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, I studied Finance and Accounting at the University of Cape Town.
I joined Bloomberg in 2015 within the Data department covering Fundamental Analysis for Sub-Saharan African listed companies, before relocating to London in 2017 to join as a data specialist in the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) team. My role has been to continue to build a product to promote transparency in corporate responsibility & sustainability, something our founder has always been putting at the forefront of individuals, corporates and government's minds. Being able to work towards making the world a more sustainable place by educating the investment community on how to measure ESG factors brings a new level of excitement and pride to my role and what I can do in this space. In 2019, I became a team leader for the ESG data team, mentoring and developing others to build ESG products.
At the end of 2020, I become a Mental Health First Aider and have taken a more active role in trying to reduce stigma around this topic in the workplace, participating in roundtables and hosting events on this topic. Being more aware of different triggers and how best to be prepared in different stressful circumstances has helped me be a better leader, friend and partner.
I have been involved in multiple mentoring programmes both at Bloomberg and externally, helping coach students and young talent to pursue careers in Fintech, as well as promote sustainability through university social impact events and workshops.
More personally I am an old soul - I love tea, peppermint, chamomile, Rooibos or Redbush as it's called in the UK, cats (I have a kitten called Tilly) and making my own clothes.
Amarbir Dhesi | PwC
I joined PwC in 2010 having graduated from the University of Sussex with a first class degree in Mathematics with Economics.
I've always worked in general insurance and I learnt the basics doing audits and working on the administration of one of the largest ever non-life insurance insolvencies at the time. I was fortunate enough to work with a wonderful team of people who encouraged me to continue to grow by working on a wide variety of projects such as Part VII transfers, Mergers & Acquisitions and Schemes of Arrangement. Through this work I also became a member of the Insurance and Reinsurance Legacy Association (IRLA) which allowed me to expand my network outside of PwC.
Over the years I've worked with London Market insurers, Lloyd's Syndicates, personal lines insurers and large global commercial insurance companies. This experience helped me to develop my understanding of different markets and the unique challenges faced by my clients. I was then able to better support them by tailoring my delivery on different projects, including helping clients design deal structures to take to market, assisting them with regulatory submissions and applications and helping them to realise value in their business through restructuring or commutations. I've always been passionate about quality and the best part of my job has been seeing the appreciation of my clients when I help them resolve their problems and overcome their challenges.
I've been able to share insights I've gained through my experience of latent insurance liabilities with the wider market. I've presented at the International Association of Asbestos and Pollution Reinsurers and I recently presented at the live virtual launch of the latest PwC Annual Global Run-off Survey.
I've also been able to take on more of a people role within PwC which has included establishing a Wellbeing Champions network within the actuarial team. Through this network I've managed to design and implement various workshops aimed to address resilience, mental health and understanding privilege.
Sian Toussaint | PwC
I joined the management consulting graduate scheme in 2014 after completing a summer internship with the firm in my second year of study at the University of Birmingham.
I received my first promotion after 18 months where I began to specialise in people-centred digital transformation, supporting clients across the public and private sectors. Within two years, I was promoted to Manager where my primary focus has been on driving people-centred change for our Insurance clients. Through my role, I have led critical components of our client’s people transformation agenda; this has included improving the employee and customer experience for an insurance company launching their first online sales channel through to implementing digital upskilling initiatives and leading discussions with functional executives in relation to futureproofing their workforce within the context of the London Market modernisation efforts.
Alongside my day job as a management consultant within our insurance practice, I have used the skills, confidence and knowledge gained through my work to involve myself in community focused initiatives. I have an external appointment as a Governor Chair at a primary school in my local borough of Tower Hamlets, where I work with the broader governing body to improve the educational offering and resources. Having such a role in London’s poorest and arguably most class-divided borough has really centred my desire to focus on equal opportunities in every facet of my life.
I am extremely committed to improving black and female representation at every level. I have been invited to speak on external panels including the launch of the Management Consultancies Association (MCA) Women in Consulting group to share my views with over 200 attendees alongside industry leaders in support of increasing female representation in the profession. This led to my nomination and election as the co-Chair of the MCA’s Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, where I am currently driving the development of best practice guidance for 60+ management consulting firms to support diversity, equity and inclusion within their organisations.
I also have a leadership role within the Financial Services Consulting Black Network and have used this platform to implement sponsorship and broader talent management initiatives to improve the black staff experience and create a more inclusive environment for everyone, supported by leaders within our practice.
Neeru Verma | PwC
Understanding insights, coupled with the right technology to ensure it is not only providing a robust solution but also an enhanced customer experience, has been the key principal within my career when delivering transformative programmes across the Financial Services Sector.
After graduating from Aston University, I spent a year in retail banking, before joining the IBM graduate scheme, where I started my career in software services sales. I soon decided to specialise within financial services and the world of data, but it was the analytics, and making the difference that really got me excited. Just over 8 years and few small moves in between, I have found my new ‘work home’ at PwC.
Over the last three years my focus has been within the Insurance industry and I have successfully delivered complex technology solutions to insurance clients, changing the status-quo on how they serve their customers through improvements in claims and policy platforms.
I’m fiercely passionate about enabling people to bring their best selves to work every day and I strongly believe a winning team is the key to success. Therefore, with successful delivery being my core goal, I also wear multiple hats where I can invest in my teams and the client through knowledge transfer and mentoring high performing versatile teams across multiple geographies.
Alongside my delivery role it has been very important for me to promote and actively make a difference within Gender and Inclusiveness, particularly regarding cultural awareness. Having come from a BAME background, it is important for me to break down the barriers and perceptions and create a platform for an integrated working environment. I am involved in several activities around the firm: I have worked with leadership to share and lead on gender and cultural differences, and how this can create different behaviours and dynamics. I also play an active role in supporting and co-leading the Tech Associate group for new graduates and supporting the technology careers of many team members, by delivering coaching and training sessions in insurance industry digital technologies and agile delivery methodologies.
Outside of my work life I am passionate about travel, fitness, and family. Travel being so much that I have also qualified and set up as an independent travel agent with an aim to grow a team and provide further career opportunities of my own in the future.
Rebecca Stewart | Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
I am currently a Key Account Manager at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty.
After completing my BA in Sociology in 2011, from the University of Bristol, I was always determined to build a career in the Insurance sector. However, following the completion of my degree I was lucky enough to obtain an internship in the London 2012 Olympic marketing team, which was given the rather easy job of galvanising the nation for the games. My team was specifically focused on organising all of the non-commercial projects in order to enhance the ‘spectator experience’ for the games, alongside organising events and projects around London. The games was obviously a once in a lifetime experience, and I loved working on the project before embarking on my career in the City.
My first role in the Insurance sector was working at Willis Tower Watson, where I was a Wholesale broker placed in the North American Property from January 2013 until September 2016. The role entailed placing and serving complex property business from the US into the European market in London, with a particular focus on large natural catastrophe exposed programs. Whilst I learnt a lot from this role, and built some fantastic relationships, I eventually decided my skills lied within the relationship side of the business, and so moved across to Allianz (AGCS) to focus on servicing FTSE250 companies. The key aspect of my role is to maintain and enhance AGCS’s relationships with new and existing corporate clients and brokers, produce strategic action plans that seeks to increase retention, new business, up-sells and cross-sells across AGCS and the wider Allianz Group. I have worked in this role for nearly five years and thoroughly enjoy it. I am lucky enough to work with a wide variety of fantastic clients, that include everyone from leading fashion houses to global defence giants, which makes the role exciting and interesting as no day is ever the same!
Lucia Syder | Marsh
In September 2017, following her degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University Lucia joined Jardine Lloyd Thompson (now Marsh JLT Specialty) on the graduate scheme in the Credit and Political Risks division.
In her role she fosters relationships with clients, ranging from private equity houses to commodity traders, delivering innovative and achievable risk mitigation solutions. In 2020, Lucia was promoted to Assistant Vice President.
Within Marsh Lucia is a regular sounding board for senior management around social impact and Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives. Currently spearheading the division’s recruitment of apprentices and a new 8-week Summer internship programme for university students. As secretary for the D&I resource group she monitors the Credit Specialty CEO’s commitments to ensure they are delivered upon. She was also elected as the division’s representative on the Colleague Information Consultation Committee (CICC), a forum to communicate with Marsh senior management on behalf of 160 constituents.
Outside of her day-to-day employment, for 4 years Lucia has been a Volunteer Coordinator at Glassdoor charity’s Monday night shelter at the Chelsea Methodist Church welcoming guests, providing shelter and serving food to support some of London’s rough sleepers. Additionally, she works with the organisation Let's Reinvent as their Diversity & Inclusion Project Lead (Women, Refugees, and Charities) to raise awareness and opportunities globally for women, youth and people of underrepresented backgrounds to thrive in the tech-driven future.
Finally, for some years Lucia has been involved in a week long, annual pilgrimage to France, run by Ampleforth Abbey. This involves taking between 60-80 ‘disabled’ pilgrims to a hospital in Lourdes under the direction of qualified doctors and nurses. As a ‘Group Leader’ she coordinates a group of 20 volunteers ranging from 17 to 80 years old to ensure the group administers care in an appropriate and compassionate manner.
Zina Saeed | HDI Global Specialty
I am a Professional Liability Underwriter working for HDI Global Specialty. Thank you for the chance to tell you about myself.
My family and I moved to the UK from Iraq when I was 7 years old. I remember my first day of school like it was yesterday, I felt like an alien, not understand a word of English or having any reference points. From that point I have always been fascinated with the sensation of being an outsider looking in but I must stress that I loved school as a kid and I read law at Queen Mary University. Luck more than wisdom led me to insurance industry due to various family commitments i was looking for a role that would give me financially stability but where I would not have to work 18 hour days and could take time off. I started working for Chubb and immediately fell in love with the industry. I was excited to move to Hiscox and get some Lloyd's of London experience, I managed professional liability claims for large U.S based professional services firms, much like the ones I had thought about working for while I was a student. Again looking through the window at how these firms were operating, what was going well, what was going not so well leading to their insurance carriers paying hundreds of millions of dollars was really a thrill.
During my tenure at Hiscox, I met my husband Michael, an American from Chicago office working in London on secondment. for 6 months. When it was time for him to leave we decided I would soon follow, and so I moved to Chicago just before Thanksgiving 2009 and we were married shortly thereafter.
In Chicago I began working for newly formed W.R. Berkley Company, Berkley Select, looking to specialise in Large Law and Accounting Firms they saw the value of hiring someone with London Market experience to manage claims for these clients, most of whom I already knew intimately as well as our quota share market participants/competitors from Lloyd's. It was a wonderful experience being closer to the clients, travelling around the U.S. and being part of a newly formed small company. At the same time I was starting my family and had 2 gorgeous daughters by the end of 2012.
Shortly after I returned from my second maternity leave my boss approached me with the idea of relocating back to London to start writing a reverse flow book of business via a Lloyd's syndicate. It would mean moving to Underwriting side of the business which I had never done before but also meant coming home to my family who I was missing tremendously, particularly as a new mum. Most of the senior underwriters I was working with had a legal and claims background like me, they assured me it would be a great transition and would be there to support me every step of the way so we decided to go for it. We left as a pair but we came back to London in 2014 as family of 4.
I recently spent some time working for a Tysers, an independent London Market wholesale Broker which gave me a fascinating view from the other side of the deal and the opportunity to speak to clients much more intimately about their insurance needs, concerns and views of the market. I feel very lucky to have completed this trifecta, claims, underwriting and broking.
I started at HDI Global Specialty in August of 2020 during the pandemic. I specialise in Underwriting Large U.S. Professional Services Firms as well as distressed risks. Starting at a new firm, while remote working and home-schooling has been a huge challenge but has also opened up massive opportunities for me to see my clients on a much more regular basis, albeit virtually. This shared experience has led them to open up more and the windows into their organisations are opening ever wider for curious underwriters to peer into!