In honor of International Women's Day on Sunday March 8, we asked industry professionals about lessons learnt from their careers and how they have experienced the workplace changing. Over the next week, we will also be highlighting leaders from Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Citi – so keep an eye out for those!

What does meaningful progress for women in capital markets look like to you? 

Meaningful progress to me isn’t just about visibility; it’s about influence. It’s not simply being present across the industry but ensuring that the different perspectives that individuals bring to the table are genuinely valued. Real progress is reflected in a culture where talent is consistently recognised and where diverse leadership styles can succeed. In that context, I’m incredibly proud of the bench of talent we’ve built across EMEA Equities at J.P. Morgan over the past 15 years, both within and beyond Equity Research.

What’s one skill young analysts underestimate?

Curiosity. Interns and graduate hires can be so focused on completing the task at hand that they underestimate the value of asking the right questions. Companies, sectors, and consumer behaviour can change quickly, and the magnitude of that change often surprises to the upside. The questions you ask are critical to determining what could be different “this time,” and to identifying and challenging the assumptions on which the current consensus relies. The shift from amassing information to interrogating it is absolutely critical for a research analyst—and it can never start too early. A fresh perspective has real value.

What’s one leadership lesson that has most shaped your career in capital markets?

There is very rarely a perfect decision—and if there is, that answer is likely to change over time. Your culture is defined by how you respond to wrong decisions or to changes in the facts. In research or investment teams, this is critical: your job is not to “find an answer,” but to make recommendations after assessing both the positives and the risks, and to continually ask how new information might challenge or support the thesis. The team you build is central to creating and sustaining that culture—one in which people are encouraged to take appropriate risks and adapt. The best leaders strive to surround themselves with people who are better than they are and who see things differently; creating an environment where different perspectives are valued and difficult questions can be openly asked is what truly moves a team forward.

What change in the industry over the past decade has had the biggest impact on your role?

The scale and diversity of our client base. The number of contacts we speak to has grown significantly, the frequency with which they wish to engage with our analysts has increased, and their range of investment styles and time horizons is broader than in the past. Driving the right resource allocation and prioritisation—and ensuring our content is fit for purpose in both substance and delivery for this growing set of client needs—has been a defining feature of the past ten years and continues to evolve.