3-minute CEO, Marie Dzanis
by Maha Khan Phillips
Originally published by CFA Society UK
“One of the things that I like about the asset management business is that its evolving constantly,” Dzanis says, pointing to some of the more important trends and themes in the business.
A key factor will be how ESG develops, she believes. Dzanis anticipates that ESG investing will become integrated, or mainstream, in the future. “We look across what was once a fossil fuel economy, and now we’re talking about climate change, and the reason for that is not only the disposition to move away from fossil fuels, but the sustainable economy based on younger generations. If we think that by the year 2025, 75% of the workforce will be millennials, they are going to want to invest with their values,” she says.
She is a strong advocate for all types of diversity in the workplace. “If you get a large group of people that are contributing in different ways, you don’t have that ‘yes’ person culture where everybody is aligned, saying how wonderful everybody’s ideas are. The reality is that your clients need to be served and there are all different types of clients.”
Northern Trust became a signatory of the Women in Finance Charter in 2017, and set a target to increase the number of women in senior management roles to 35% by December 2020 – a target it hit a year early. 50% of Dzanis’ hires last year were women. 31% were ethnically diverse. “So its hand to hand combat, every single day. We need to be committed to understanding what the marketplace is and how we can creatively source and support talent to make us a better investment community,” she says.
