Our Advisory Panel

The experts who are supporting and mentoring our Innovators' journey.

John Macpherson

Chair of Advisory Panel

Independent Advisor

Advice to Innovators:

“More is learnt in rejection than in acceptance if you are prepared to listen.”

Chris Hill

Independent Advisor

Advice to Innovators:

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John Thompson

Delivery Lead – Investments, Abrdn

Advice to Innovators:

“Clearly identify your USP along the value chain, engage early with both prospective customers and regulators and embrace agile practises.”

Katie Simm

Director – Asset & Wealth Management Consulting, Alpha FMC

Advice to Innovators:

“Believe in your idea enough to make it a reality; value it enough to take feedback and alter course where required.”

Patricia Guillierme

Digital Transformation & Innovation Manager, Allianz Global Investors

Advice to Innovators:

“Identify your unique selling proposition and how it compares to your competitors, especially if you are looking to challenge or disrupt well-established and market-leading companies.”

Advice to Innovators:

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Giuseppe Tedone

Head of Global Portfolio Solutions, Barings Asset Management

Advice to Innovators:

“Think big, start small, act fast”

Henry MacLeod

Co-Head Digital Distribution, EMEA, BlackRock

Andrea Tedone

Head of Change and Transformation, BNP Paribas

Advice to Innovators:

Electric light did not come from the continuous improvement of candles.” – Real progress often comes from disruptive innovation, think bold!”

Jack White

Digital Innovation, Securities Services, Citi

Advice to Innovators:

“Don’t be afraid to pivot your proposition (within reason). If your core innovation is sound and you commit to it, you’ll find your niche”

Charles Kerrigan

Partner & Global Head of FinTech, CMS

Advice to Innovators:

“Know your (target) customer”

Prasad Chandrasheker

Global Head of Emerging Technology Strategy, Fidelity International

Advice to Innovators:

“Focus on the unmet needs of the customer and deliver them using strong technology and service foundations.”

Colin Bennett

Head of Digital Distribution, Global, GAM (UK) Limited

Advice to Innovators:

“Know your customer. Relentlessly validate your idea in partnership with your market. Make your product a must have, not a nice to have”

Maria Knight

Global Head of Business Intelligence and Automation, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Advice to Innovators:

“Be patient. You never know when a prospective client is contemplating a deal with you: Understand their challenges and partner with them to support a shared agenda”

Paul Dimambro

Investment & Retirement Director, Hargreaves Lansdown

Shivani Shashidar

Investment Executive, Illuminate Financial

Adrian Barrett

Head of Product Management, Insight Investments

Advice to Innovators:

“Even at an early stage, show your idea in action from the user’s perspective and make it as memorable as possible”

David Reed

Director – Distribution Strategy & Innovation, Invesco

Ian Carr

Head of Engineering, Legal & General Investment Management

Mahesh Nair

Chief Technology Officer, Lumyna Investments

Advice to Innovators:

“The value of an idea lies in how it’s used”

Rodney Hutchinson

Head of Business Solutions, M&G Investments

Ferdinand van Heerden

Chief Executive Officer, Momentum Investments

Advice to Innovators:

“To change established thinking, simplicity and clarity of thought are key, but often complex to explain, deliver and monetise.”

Kate Webber

Head of Product Strategy, Northern Trust

Naqash Tahir

Director, Head of Systems – Europe & Chair of the European Innovation Council, PGIM Real Estate

Advice to Innovators:

“Don’t focus on the number of functions your applications has, focus on the impact and quality of each one”

Siobhan Clarke

COO, Royal London Asset Management

Cecile Rousseau

Chief Technology Officer,

Ruffer LLP

Advice to Innovators:

There are multiple paths to innovation. It is less about offering products than understanding clients’ problems and possible solutions.

Charlotte Wood

Head of Innovation, Schroders

Advice to Innovators:

“Go after specific, validated use cases – don’t leave it up to potential customers to figure out how or why your product is relevant to their business.”

Tamsin Hobley

Country Head UK & Ireland, SIX Group

Advice to Innovators:

“Build a strong network of supporters and partnerships and use these to help open doors. Be clear about the problem you are solving for your customers. Listen to feedback about your product and don’t be afraid to pivot and make changes based on this feedback.”

Allee Zhang

Director, Risk Officer & Sustainability Specialist, UBS Asset Management

Advice to Innovators:

“Launch, gain feedback, pivot if needed, plan for the worst, and plan for the exit.”

James Hubbard

Fund Manager, Wesleyan

Advice to Innovators:

“Every industry has locked doors blocking the way to progress. Innovation is the key to opening them.”