Hanneke Smits – Women in Leadership

On Thursday 12 October, in the latest of our PIE+ lecture series, we were delighted to welcome City high-flyer, Hanneke Smits to talk about women in leadership, her experience in the corporate world and taking on the role of Global Chair of the 30% Club.

Ms Smits is CEO of Bank of New York Mellon Investment Management and a member of BNY Mellon’s Executive Committee. BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world’s largest asset managers, globally managing over $1.9 trillion of assets for its clients.

We discussed leadership, gender equality, life balance and Hanneke’s career path to CEO and Global Chair of the 30% Club, a business-led campaign to boost female representation at board and C-Suite level in the world’s biggest companies.

The 30% Club was founded in 2010 in the UK and now operates across more than 20 countries. Ms Smits spoke about the need for diversity in business in order to achieve good decision making. Research shows that you need 30% representation of any group in order for that minority’s voice to be heard and the more you can tap into a diverse pool of ideas, the better it is.

She spoke of the value of listening to your gut and AND the evidence, the importance of authenticity, values and soft skills in business, and the need to feel good within a company culture.

It was a fascinating and inspiring event. Thank you to Ms Smits for sparing the time to join us.