The Investment Association (IA) has launched a committee intended to give potential future leaders working in UK asset management “a bigger voice and greater opportunities to shape the industry”.
The industry body said the Next Generation Investment Committee was created to bring new perspectives and “creative challenge” to the industry’s thinking about investment and capital markets.
The Next Generation committee will shadow the main investment committee and examine issues including achieving efficient and effective markets across all asset classes, the integration of sustainability into the investment process and the wider role of the industry in society, as well as developments relating to the changing policy and regulatory environment.
The asset management industry is under particular pressure to demonstrate it is making a credible contribution to the fight against climate change.
According to the IA, the members* of the committee, which has strong female representation, were selected by their firms as future industry leaders with strong potential to become CIOs or heads of asset classes, “as well as for the diverse perspectives they can bring to the table”.
Chris Cummings, IA chief executive officer, said: “It is vital we bring in fresh perspectives and hear from a diverse range of voices to ensure our industry remains globally competitive and continues to thrive.
The creation of this new committee is an important step in achieving this and supporting the future talent of the investment management industry.”
Richard Lacaille, chair of IA’s main Investment Committee and global CIO at State Street Global Advisors, said: “With Generation Z now firmly having entered the workplace, the generational gap in our industry has grown wider.
“The creation of this new committee will help bridge this, by enabling aspiring individuals to better understand the boardroom-level issues affecting our industry, while providing their fresh perspectives on these challenges and opportunities.”
The launch of the Next Generation committee comes shortly after the establishment of a stewardship-focussed steering group bringing together UK pension funds and asset managers.
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