A female-owned, independent asset management firm focused on next generation ESG investment  opportunities for institutional and wealth management clients worldwide. Most recently, she  was the CEO of Rosenberg Equities, a $20b pioneer in systematic investing and the first fully  ESG integrated quantitative manager. During her 18 years with Rosenberg, she was Global  COO and Chief of Staff, and held various positions in business development, client  relationship management, product development and communications throughout her  tenure. Prior to that, she served in executive roles at Montgomery Asset Management and  Wells Fargo Funds Management.  

Heidi earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education Program, and is a CFA Charterholder. She is a two-time finalist for the Woman of the Year Award from Investment Week Women in Investments and Women in Asset Management. Heidi is also a member of the Advisory Council for the Center for Equity Gender and Leadership at the HAAS School of Business at UC Berkeley, a champion of ESG investing and an advocate for diversity and inclusion, forwarding the dialogue through speaking engagements worldwide.

Why is corporate culture important to you?

As the CEO of a global asset management firm, I witnessed firsthand how diversity leads to better decision making and better idea generation, by incorporating a wider set of perspectives and avoiding group think.  A culture of inclusion, where all ideas and perspectives are not only welcomed but expected plays a critical role in attracting and retaining talent, and is a necessary prerequisite to getting the most of the skills, experience and perspectives they bring to the table. A purpose-driven culture acts as the bridge between aspirations and tangible results.  We put culture at the heart of our firm because we are confident that harnessed properly, it gives us a competitive advantage.

In your view, why is it important to set a higher standard of stewardship and behaviour within the investment industry?

Our industry’s noble purpose is that we are entrusted with helping people achieve financial security.  We should remind ourselves of that incredible responsibility every day, because being guardians of our clients’ capital is not something to take lightly, and it requires the highest level of trust. 

To earn that trust, it’s imperative that we hold ourselves to a higher standard of stewardship and behaviour.  And the critical foundation for that is a strong corporate culture.  City Hive’s objective with ACT is to provide investment companies with a framework to assess, measure and evolve cultural values to that end.

Why did you decide to sit on the ACT Stewardship Council and what does it mean to you personally?

I met Bev early in the launch of our new firm, Radiant, and we instantly connected on a number of topics we share a passion for—one of those is the critical importance of promoting broader diversity in our industry and ensuring we mind and mend the gap between ambition and evolution.

My co-founder and I have a lot of experience in building the necessary conditions for a purpose-driven culture to thrive and wanted to share our insights and perspectives, as well as practical considerations and approaches, with the hope of helping others be more aware of the critical importance of culture and how best to evolve their aspirations to tangible results.