Hanneke Smits
The Diplomat
People, composure and the difficult conversation held well.
Hanneke Smits presents as a consummate Diplomat, leading through listening, coalition-building, and evidence-based consensus. She describes herself as naturally more observer than talker, prioritising fact patterns over gut instinct before acting. Her stewardship of the 30% Club reflects a career-long orientation toward activating allies across institutional hierarchies rather than imposing mandates.
“I'm sure your research has shown this, we are actually the oldest company in the S&P 500. We're celebrating 240 years this year. We were the first company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.”
“And we got some very early male allies, as we would call them now, who actively promoted the benefits of diversity and went on a path to increase the number of board roles that were held by women. We got to the 30% target in 2019 here in the UK. In fact, we're now well ahead of 40% from a non-exec role.”
“Well, we just pause on investment management here because the day doesn't go past when one doesn't read about more money, flooding into passing, particularly out of the US. You have a portfolio of asset management companies which include Walter Scott and Inside.”
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Money Maze Podcast: “The 30% Club and the Future of Institutional Investment Management - With Hanneke Smits, Global Head of Investment Management, BNY Mellon”
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