At Schroders we make it our everyday way of life to continually champion women in the asset management industry. This is not just because gender balance is fair and right, but because we want to attract the talent, vision, skills and synergies they bring with them. We need more women in data to help us go on breaking down the barriers that falsely define which gender belongs in which sector. And we want to nurture new generations of girls and women into data by attracting, retaining, supporting and promoting them wherever we can.
At Schroders we are first and foremost a ‘client-centric’ firm, our clients’ needs are at the heart of everything we do. By deriving insights from the data, rather than simply processing it, we can deliver a more tailored and better value service to them. We put a lot of effort into the innovation and discovery of new data which keeps us ahead and makes Schroders such a fascinating place to work. Investment decisions are made on data, so the better the data, and the analysis of that data, the better the investment decisions are for the client. We are proud of our sustainability credentials in data having built the right tools and metrics on ESG.
As we have clients all over the world we cannot focus solely on UK data, we look instead at a much wider spectrum of data when it comes to what we are doing and how we are doing it. Schroders is a global organisation and we need our data usable and reusable across all our locations, so one of the ways we see the data landscape changing is that it’s moving out of silos, certainly not defined by geographical borders. Another change coming along is that, because data needs to be understood across borders and more interactive, it needs to come with enhanced capabilities, for example visualisation tools so it becomes the common language between us and the client or more reliance on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for natural language processing. In any case, the data landscape of the future must enable data to be used in such a way we can derive maximum value from it.
As a global investment manager, we help institutions, intermediaries and individuals across the planet meet their goals, fulfil their ambitions, and prepare for the future. But as the world changes, so do our clients’ needs. That’s why we have a long history of adapting to suit the times and keeping our focus on what matters most to our clients.
A bit about me…
Having left Greece, my beautiful home country, at the age of 18, I then had homes in both Barcelona ad Berlin before making London my second home. I have lived in this city for the past 5 years.
Getting into data and technology was a leap of faith for me; it happened when a senior executive in the first company I worked for asked me to lead the development of a data warehouse for a start-up that the company had recently onboarded.
Thankfully my civil-engineering background, combined with some project management and business administration skills, enabled me to move relatively easily into the fascinating world of data. Moving from e-commerce to asset management it has been, as Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, all about the journey and not the destination; this is true for me, as no matter the sector, no matter the country, it’s always been the power of the stories and insights we get through the journey data takes us on.
Why did I join Schroders?
Joining Schroders was one of the most spontaneous things I have ever done. I really enjoy telling this story because spontaneity was the main factor that got me to join the company. At the time, I was really close to accepting an offer with another company when out of the blue a recruiter called me and asked me if I would consider being interviewed for a job at Schroders; he strongly believed that this position would be the perfect fit for me. I explained my personal circumstances and the urgency of my position with the other company and said I didn’t think that an old-school Asset Manager (this was my perception of Schroders at the time) would be able to speed up their hiring processes just to bring one person on board.
Thankfully, I was proven wrong. Within two days of that phone call, I had gone through three rounds of interviews and a use case and had received an offer of employment. Incidentally, during my interviews I noted that 50% of the panel were women and all of them younger than me and in more junior roles but still a critical part of the hiring processes.
Realising that Schroders could combine a long- lasting and powerful presence in the Asset Management industry whilst being a modern, agile, flexible and inclusive organisation – actually walking the talk – were the decisive factors that made me join the company, and I did so spontaneously, without a second thought.
What do I like most about Schroders
It allows me to be myself and express my interests and things I am passionate about through my job. I am a big advocate of inclusion and diversity as well as gender equality, and I am pleased that within the organisation there are groups supporting these causes and taking actions to ensure that the company aligns with these values.
It provides me with diversified learning and development opportunities, related to where I see myself and my career going, even if that means a shift of my interest to something new. It is a people centric organisation, and as an active single mum, I could not have found a better fit.
A bit about me…
At uni I became fascinated with predictive models: how the right combination of data factors could almost magically reproduce a real-life event. That led me to study for an MSc in the subject and work as an Econometrician for a large marketing agency. I later moved into consultancy, enjoying the variety of clients and working on the creative solutions I had to envision for them. I did miss, though, being part of the implementation process and monitoring the impact. I joined Schroders in January 2020 so I could be part of the whole process and I lead data science in areas related to clients. We extract knowledge and patterns from data, which are transformed into actionable insights the business i uses to deliver a valuable, measurable competitive advantage in client retention and engagement. I’m a busy and proud mum of two clever, cheeky girls and in my spare time I like studying all things about wine – of course I keep all my tasting notes in a database!
Why did I join Schroders?
I immediately engaged with their vision and direction of travel with regard to the use of data and analytics and wanted to be a part of this journey. I was also impressed by their efforts and achievements in sustainable investment as well as inclusion and diversity.
What do I like most about Schroders?
Colleagues are incredibly friendly and supportive. I love the fact that I never feel like I’m reaching a ceiling at Schroders. There are always new challenges and areas where one must adapt, learn and develop. Innovation and new data initiatives are welcome and sponsored by senior management.
