Meet the board

Paul Niven is Head of Multi-Asset Solutions, EMEA at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. He is also Fund Manager for the F&C Investment Trust. Paul joined Columbia Threadneedle through the acquisition of BMO GAM (EMEA) in 2021, having previously been with BMO since 1996. He has worked in Asset Allocation and Investment Strategy since 1999, after undertaking a fund management position in Pacific Basin Equities. Paul has had responsibility for the management of Multi-Asset mandates within the group since 2002 (including large portfolios for insurance clients) and is Chair of the Investment Policy Group. He is responsible for strategic and tactical portfolio construction as well as manager selection across a variety of institutional mandates. Paul graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Economics, obtained an MPhil in Finance, and is a member of the UK CFA Institute.

Appointed to the Board on 1 September 2017, Beatrice is now Chairman of the Board, the Management Engagement Committee and the Nomination Committee. Beatrice brings to the Board investment knowledge and expertise in regard to both equities and global fixed income. She also brings leadership skills from her time as a Managing Director of Credit Suisse Asset Management, LLC where she spent 16 years in global fixed income. Beatrice is a member of the Board of Brown Advisory in the United States and chairs its international advisory board. She is also the Senior Independent Director at Telecom Plus PLC.

Appointed to the Board on 3 May 2024. Richard is the Investment Director at Paul Hamlyn Foundation. He was previously Head of Charities & Foundations at Schroders plc and held a number of senior positions at Rothschild Asset Management. He is a former director of JPMorgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust plc and Aurora Investment Trust plc.

Appointed to the Board on 1 August 2022.  Julie is a director of Fincom Advisory Limited providing commercial advice to businesses, having previously been the Chief Financial Officer and a Board member of the Port of London where, as well as finance, she was responsible for risk, procurement, legal and information technology. She was also a pension trustee for 6 years of a defined benefit scheme, working with investment advisors, the scheme actuary and pensions advisory committee. Julie is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. She sits on the Industrial Development Advisory Board and previously chaired the audit committee of Leeds & York NHS Foundation Trust, prior to which she held various senior positions at BT plc.

Appointed to the Board on 10 March 2020 and is a member of the Audit Committee. Quintin brings investment banking and investment management knowledge and expertise to the Board from a 30 year career working at a senior level for a number of leading companies. From 2005 to 2015 he was at BlackRock where he was Global Head of Alpha Strategies and a member of the Global Executive Committee. Quintin is a non-executive director of Aperture Investors, a New York based fund manager.

Anu is the Chief Executive of Pukka Herbs where she is responsible for governance and strategy. Anu is a Marketing professional with more than 25 years’ experience in the consumer-packaged goods industry, having formerly been Managing Director of Ben and Jerrys Europe, Global Marketing Director of Unilever and Marketing Director of Pepsi Lipton International. Prior to that she held a number of senior Marketing roles at Unilever.

Appointed to the Board on 1 February 2022. Steve brings the highest level of investment skills and knowledge to the Board. He is Investment Director and a member of the multi asset investment committee at Ruffer LLP, where he helps direct its investment strategy. He joined Ruffer in 2003 and has managed their flagship pooled funds and developed their institutional pension fund offering into one of the largest multi asset/absolute return fund managers in the UK. Steve previously managed segregated pension funds at Sun Life of Canada and advised pension fund managers as a strategist at HSBC.

Appointed to the Board on 25 July 2016 and is a member of the Audit Committee. Edward brings a combination of investment, operational and general management experience worldwide, with expertise in the digital transformation of large-scale organisations, Portfolio Management, Risk, Strategy and Technology. He is PLC Board Audit and Risk Committee Chairman elect of Ten Group, the technology service platform, where he also serves as a PLC Non-Executive Director, and is a former PLC Board Risk & Compliance Committee Chair in wealth management and financial services.  Edward was previously Chief Operating Officer and Global Head of Business Management within the Technology function at HSBC, and prior to that he was a Chief Operating Officer at Barclays Bank. Until 2012 he was at McKinsey & Company, providing board and advisory services to clients worldwide, focusing on growth strategy, technology, risk and transformation, including across asset management, banking and technology organisations. Edward is a Member of the Board of Asia House, a centre of expertise on trade, investment and public policy, and also brings regulatory, policy, competition and innovation board experience including serving on the Board of The Payment Systems Regulator and UK Endorsement Board (Department for Business & Trade), as well as advisor to a range of Fintech and wider portfolio companies.