Ashburton Investments' Chief People Officer on building high-performance teams
From stockbroking and psychology to asset management Human Capital, it’s about honing human potential for Kim Howard, Chief People Officer at Ashburton Investments
With more than 100 high-performing employees under her wing, Kim Howard, Chief People Officer at Ashburton Investments, has the dual task of creating an environment that drives strong team performance in a high-stakes knowledge industry, while encouraging resilience and a sense of value in individuals who chose a career in the asset management industry.
Her unique set of qualifications, as a Chartered Accountant with a PhD in Social Psychology, provide her with a unique understanding of the human needs within the industry environment.
Howard told Business Report that it’s important to enable people to play to their strengths, which often involves “removing obstacles and noise”.
Married with two sons, she said that balance is important to her.
“It’s important to give your mind and body a chance to breathe and be mindful. Our hectic, ‘always on’ lives are not conducive to that.”
Starting out as a Chartered Accountant (CA) about 33 years ago and completing her articles at KPMG, she began her career as a stockbroking analyst at HSBC.
She added that she brokered for the current Chief Investment Officer (CIO), Patrice Rassou and current CEO at Ashburton, CEO Duzi Ndlovu.
“I brokered for both Patrice and Duzi.. I understand what they do, even though I have never been a fund manager myself. Then I ran Standard Bank’s Investor Relations for about eight years, which is also in the investment field. I loved psychology so much that when I had two young kids I went back to university and picked up another major in psychology, eventually ending up with a PhD in social psychology, specialising in adolescent identity construction and belonging. Our identity is ultimately a negotiation between where we belong, where we want to belong, and where we can never belong. The findings are equally relevant in the workplace as they are in adolescence. Being a banker, I found my way back into financial services and joined Ninety One for two years, where I did some really fascinating work with another psychologist on risk-taking behaviour within asset management, and the identities of people who are willing to take risks,” Howard said.
Speaking about Rassou, she said he is well-known in the industry and a true champion for diversity.
“He prioritises hiring women and people from different backgrounds and perspectives, as cognitive diversity is very important within teams that solve complex problems together,” she added.
On her CEO, she said, “Duzi Ndlovu is an experienced and inspiring leader. He is the kind of person you want to follow, with people’s interests and development at heart. We have established and respected industry stalwarts leading all our teams, and that’s a great base from which you can build a formidable company.”
She said that since Ashburton has achieved stability, her next goal is to take it to the next level and instil belonging and engagement within the business to entrench high performance.
“From a cultural perspective, we are fostering a sense of urgency around healthy competition, cohesion in the business, a thought-provoking ethos, and a quest for excellence. We are on a mission to identify top talent and to further strengthen the gender stats in our investment teams. We are also focusing on building a culture of curiosity and continuous learning, which is very important in our industry,” Howard said.
“We also want to build stronger industry ties for education and learning, for instance through partnership with the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Society. People join companies where they can develop and learn. You also need to have a culture where people feel psychologically safe where they feel they can challenge group think, are able to grow, and give each other constructive and candid feedback in a respectful and productive way” she added.
Speaking about her achievements at the company, which she has spent just over a year at, she said, “The team has stabilised quite significantly in a year. We haven’t had any new changes to the executive team, in fact, I was the last person to join the exco a year ago. The exco is strong, the larger team is settling, we now have very strong distribution people in place, we have great operations people, and we have strong leadership, all of which is very positive. We are also making some exciting new female appointments, which we will be announcing in the coming months. Female representation in the asset management industry is definitely an area we can all improve on.”
Howard shared her thoughts on some of the trends in her industry.
She said, “The global focus on wellness is positive, but in some cases the pendulum has swung too far to the other side. I see young people in the workplace outsourcing their agency and happiness, because they think other people will provide it to them. For people to feel the real rush of purpose and personal growth, they need internal agency, resilience and grit. It’s up to the individual to take up and use the many wellness offerings we have. The most important thing for employees is the ability to develop and grow. I think you can do so much more for an employee if you understand what motivates them, where they want to belong and develop in their career, and offer a path for them to get there. The rest is up to them.”
Howard added that she is still excited about her future at Ashburton.
She said, “I am excited about the future prospects of this brand and the value it adds to the FirstRand Group. We work with smart, interesting people, and develop young talent, while focusing on an environment of inclusion and belonging. There is a real opportunity to create something incredible here at Ashburton.”
BUSINESS REPORT