Mona has 25 years of financial services experience across investments, wealth management,  risk, governance, product governance, compliance and client outcomes, and has seen the great, the good, the bad, and the downright horrendous. She is therefore absolutely convinced that with good culture comes good decisions and good outcomes, for client and for investors.

What made you join ACT and the Stewardship Council?

There is no doubt that ACT is important. The framework is both voluntary and supportive enabling companies to challenge themselves to do better. The transparency and honesty that follows, sets the standards and expectations for others.

Through the Stewardship Council, we direct and inform, support and challenge – ourselves, the other members of the council, and our networks.

Being part of ACT is a privilege, and I am proud and excited about the difference we can make.

Why is corporate culture important to you?             

I am convinced that a good culture that enables good decisions to be made in alignment with clients and investors needs, leads to better outcomes client and commercial outcomes. We have seen the scandals, and it is so easy to say that these are ‘bad actors’ and ‘one offs’, but they are often the consequence of firms allowing it to happen. As an industry, we manage and control a vast amount of investors’ money, institutional or retail, and when we chose to invest in firms and teams with good cultures, we promote and celebrate cultures that lead to better outcomes for everyone. As firms that have only just started on their journey to obtain and maintain a good culture see the potential future benefits of doing better, this should lead to positive change.

What about diversity, equity and inclusion? Why is this important to you?

We are all shaped by and learn from our own experiences and surroundings. If these experiences are unchanged, and the surroundings are as they always have been, we do not change or grow as individuals. The same can be said for companies. Where diversity is invited, equity is assumed and inclusion is unquestioned, the collective experience allows for and enables maturity and diversity of thought and the appreciation of different perspectives. In a rapidly changing world, and an increasingly competitive landscape, a broader and more holistic perspective can provide a competitive edge, by better understanding customer needs and how these can be fulfilled. I future, I strongly believe that firms that do not embrace the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion will be outpaced by those that do.