Getting to know your diversity & inclusion team.
Getting to know your diversity & inclusion team.
Our dedicated D&I colleagues based in North America and EMEA work closely with HR colleagues and business leaders from across the globe to implement our global inclusion strategy. As the team expands, we thought it was about time to catch up and find out more about why they believe that inclusion and diversity is so important for Invesco. Learn more about our Inclusion & Diversity strategy and Business Resource Groups.
Anna Penn
Head of D&I for North America
I work with Invesco leaders to drive our D&I strategy across the business and help us move toward a more diverse and inclusive culture.
I work closely with our governing D&I Councils, NA business leaders, and the broader D&I team.
Devvya Sharma
D&I Manager, EMEA
I joined Invesco back in March to build on the fantastic work that has been done in the past three years to lay a strong foundation for our D&I vision. Through our new framework, our 2021 goals and the collaboration with colleagues in the business, I look forward to creating an inclusive culture where we all thrive and can be our best.
Dominique Bell
North America D&I Specialist
My role is to support our North American D&I work and help drive us toward a more diverse and inclusive culture. I’ll be working with the broader D&I team to manage and implement D&I strategy, support our Business Resource Groups, and manage many of our existing D&I programs. My objective is to help embed an inclusive culture that supports, encourages and invests in our people.
Caroline Atkinson
Head of HR for EMEA
Alongside heading up HR in EMEA, I also lead the coordination of our D&I efforts globally. This involves working with the I&D team, HR colleagues and the business to develop our I&D strategy and ensure that we deliver on what we set out to achieve. I also chair our Global D&I Council and provide updates to our Executive leaders and Boards.
Why are you so passionate about diversity and inclusion?
Anna: I’m a first-generation college graduate. I grew up in a blue-collar community, and my first corporate job was a bit of a culture shock. The young professionals that I started with were well travelled, had mentors, had done summer internships and felt an easy sense of belonging. I was a bit different – I had never travelled outside of the south-eastern US, I didn’t know what it meant to fly Business Class, and I once asked if an au pair was a food. My background allowed me to notice the voices that were left out of the decision-making process – voices that could add great value and perspective and were excluded not for meritocratic reasons but because of circumstance. I truly believe that we make the best decisions when we have a diversity of backgrounds and voices in the room. Layer in the richness of demographic diversity, of gender and racial diversity, the bravery of the LGBTQ+ community, the creativity of those who are neurodiverse, and the potential for impact skyrockets.
Devvya: It has to do with my personal journey – I was lucky to have the opportunity to learn, grow and pursue my dreams in life. However, coming from India I am well aware of how some people, despite having merit, can struggle to succeed. Being in a role that allows me to create equal opportunity, people to be themselves and freely express their ideas is personally rewarding.
Dominique: Being a part of D&I speaks to my passion for empowering others. Embracing diversity and inclusion empowers people to present their authentic selves in the workplace. This in turn allows us to understand other’s perspectives, broadening our own and celebrating our differences and commonalities as we unite.
Caroline: Fundamentally fairness is a core personal value for me, so I have a real drive for equality and everyone having the same opportunities open to them.
How do you see the focus on inclusion and diversity adding to our business?
Anna: There aren’t many ways in which I don’t see D&I adding to the business. Diverse teams make better decisions that apply to broader communities. Inclusion is a key driver of retention (often outpacing compensation) meaning that the talent we bring into the company will stay with us. But for me it comes down to creating a system that cultivates and retains the best talent. An organization that can develop and progress talent without bias or barriers ultimately ends up with the most talented teams and leaders.
Devvya: I think it allows us to create an environment where employees can freely contribute, even if their ideas are different to the norm. Creating that safe space will allow everyone to grow professionally and challenge the status quo without fear, thus serving our clients better through more innovative ideas, efficient processes and better relationships. Also, I think every employer should ensure they build a conducive environment for all employees to feel safe and valued.
Dominique: As a result of our workforce feeling valued and accepted, we can increase employee engagement, enhance innovation and creativity, lower turnover rates and continue attracting top talent – all of which can accelerate business growth. Our clients are also increasingly asking about D&I and wanting to partner with us on various initiatives. Meeting this need is part of what it means to be the most client-centric firm in our industry.
What is the biggest challenge we face in creating a truly inclusive culture in Invesco?
Anna: The lack of reliable data: it’s a challenge that goes beyond our industry and there’s no quick solution. We have to be able to understand the composition of our workforce at each level of the organization in order to assess trends and measure progress against proposed solutions. Tracking average time to promotion is a good example; do certain groups sit in their roles longer than company average? If so, what interventions can we put in place to achieve equity? I am hopeful that we’ll get the data we need from the Count Me In campaign so that we can begin running these types of analyses at Invesco.
Devvya: Changing culture isn’t an easy task and it requires the long-term commitment of everyone in the organization. It takes time, patience and continuous dialogue to build an intangible asset that everyone benefits from not being able to show quick results might create the perception that not much is being accomplished, so we need to work hard to ensure that people understand the difference we are making.
Caroline: I think that to be inclusive across the board everyone needs to realize that they have a part to play. An inclusive culture is made up of thousands of ‘micro moments’ as we make decisions and interact with each other day-to-day. Moving the thinking away from D&I being a senior leader and HR only topic is certainly one of our challenges.
What should people know about you that they probably don’t?
Anna: I love to cook! The men in my family are incredible cooks, and my brother is a chef, so I come by it naturally. My favorite way to spend a Sunday is in the kitchen experimenting with a new recipe and getting to feed my loved ones a big Sunday dinner.
Devvya: Eating good food is my first and only true love!
Dominique: I was born in Germany and lived there for a year before returning to the United States. My dad served in the military, so we moved around often. I credit my ability to adapt well to change and connect with people from different backgrounds to my childhood.
Caroline: I can whistle really loudly – it’s very handy to get my kids attention when they’re walking round with headphones on all the time!