Speakers
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James Edwards Director, Institutional Business
James is a Director within the UK Institutional team with a particular focus on Corporate DB pension schemes. Prior to joining BMO Global Asset Management in May 2018, James worked at BlackRock for 10 years as both an Institutional Client Director and a Fixed Income Product Specialist, with a focus on global credit. James is a CFA Charterholder.
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Vicki Bakhshi Director, Climate Strategist, Responsible Investment
Vicki is a Responsible Investment Specialist at BMO Global Asset Management. Her focus is on advising the firm on climate change and impact investing strategies. She also engages with investee companies in the utilities sector, encouraging best practice in sustainability and governance issues. Prior to working at BMO, she spent five years in the UK government, including as Prime Minister Tony Blair’s policy adviser on climate change, and as a senior member of the team responsible for the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change. She spent three years at the Financial Times as a leader writer, and two years as an economist at the Bank of England. Vicki chairs the UKSIF Policy Committee, and co-chairs the climate scenarios working group of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change. She holds an MSc in Economics from Warwick University and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.
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Fiona Pearl Associate, UK Institutional Sales
Fiona joined BMO Global Asset Management in April 2020 and is responsible for supporting sales strategies within the UK Institutional team. Fiona originally began her career in marketing at a mortgage securitisation firm, assisting with the launch of a new brand as part of a joint venture between the private equity firms, Blackstone, and TPG. Fiona moved into the investment management sector in 2016 and has held distribution roles at Hassium Asset Management, Aberdeen Asset Management (now Aberdeen Standard Investments) and also on the consultancy side at Cambridge Associates. Fiona holds professional qualifications from both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Chartered Insurance Institute.
