Meet our Steering Group
Jen Mair
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Martin Currie
Jen is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Martin Currie and joined the business in 2015. Bringing over 20 years’ experience working internationally in financial services and strategy, Jen has deep knowledge of the Martin Currie business and the wider investment landscape from her roles as Chief Operating Officer or Staff. She has also provided oversight and strategic direction to the firm’s Investment and Distribution teams in her role as Chair of these departments’ Executive Committees.
As CEO, Jen leads the overall strategy for Martin Currie. A graduate in Law and French from the Universities of Edinburgh and Paris, Jen began her career as a finance lawyer at Allen & Overy in Paris and went on to spend 11 years with Barclays in corporate finance and global strategy.
Jen is passionate about demystifying and broadening access to the investment industry and leads a culture at Martin Currie founded on inclusion that aspires to attract and grow talents from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Diane Crichton
Senior HR People Partner, Walter Scott and Partners
Diane is the HR Business Partner at Walter Scott, transferring to Walter Scott in 2006 from Newton (also part of Bank of New York Mellon).
Previous to Walter Scott Diane worked for Newton Investment in Edinburgh since 2005. Prior to this, she had HR roles at Inveresk Research and Jenners. Diane holds an Honours Degree in Commerce and Post Grad Diploma in Human Resources.
Fiona Gillespie
Head of Charities (Scotland), Rathbones
Fiona is head of Rathbone’s Charity business in Scotland, overseeing the investment portfolios for a number of local and national charities. Her initial introduction to the investment industry was in 1993 as an Industrial Placement student from Napier University with Edinburgh Fund Managers, and stayed with that firm through the acquisition by Aberdeen Asset Management until 2017, working from what was essentially and intern role to a Senior Investment Manager, gaining a great deal of varied experience along the way.
Future Asset’s mission is closely aligned to Fiona’s personal aim of bettering the investment industry through diversity, by providing opportunities to those who otherwise have no insight or real knowledge of the investment sector and what it entails. There are many pre conceptions which are often untrue, but prevent girls from applying, when in fact, it’s an industry open to everyone to join. The role of senior women with in the industry right now is to spread the word, provide support and open up opportunities for our future assets !
Lauran Halpin
Portfolio Manager & Head of Impact Equities
Lauran works for Martin Currie where she heads up the Impact Equity team and manages sustainability-focused portfolios aiming to make a measurable positive difference to some of the world’s biggest problems. Previously, she has managed client equity portfolios and analysed the global healthcare sector at Franklin Templeton, Edinburgh Partners, and Baillie Gifford. Lauran spent much of her early life studying to become a biologist and, as a result, is passionate about attracting talent from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to the investment industry
Lauran has been a member of the Steering Group since 2018 and is deeply committed to Future Asset’s aim of encouraging young women into the investment industry where diversity of opinion, way of thinking, and priorities are so important but in such terribly short supply. When she isn’t at work or supporting the great work Future Asset does throughout Scotland, you’ll find her spending time with her two dogs or wild swimming and hill walking on the Isle of Skye.
Lynne Lamont
Head of Charities, RBC Brewin Dolphin
Lynne entered a career in Investment management quite by accident, taking up a graduate trainee investment manager role with Newton Investment 22 years ago whilst waiting for PhD funding to come through for a glaciology research project. She set up the Scottish charity investment team for Newton before moving on to Brewin Dolphin 13 years ago to set up the charity offering and lead the Scottish team. She is now a senior leader in the Edinburgh office which manages £5bn of assets for a wide range of clients.
Lynne loves working with charity clients and has two rehomed spaniels from two separate charity clients! She regularly takes part in fundraising for clients and is passionate about making their reserves work for them and is an enthusiastic mentor. Outside the office, Lynne loves to be in the mountains, running, skiing or climbing. She has two very active children and loves to explore the world!
Kirsty Hair
Teaching Fellow in Business Education, University of Strathclyde
Kirsty joined the University of Strathclyde as a Teaching Fellow (Business Education) at the Institute of Education in August 2022. She plays a key role in Initial Teacher Education for Business Education students, as well as teaching on other modules within Education. Prior to joining the University full-time, Kirsty worked as a Faculty Head of Business Education and ICT in East Ayrshire and before this a Business Education Teacher in North Ayrshire.
Jennifer Stephen
Senior Manager - Impact, Communication and Engagement, Stewart Investors
Jennifer is a Senior Manager in the Impact, Communication & Engagement team at Stewart Investors, which was formed to complement and provide support to the ongoing activities of the investment team. Previously, Jennifer was responsible for deliverables related to projects & initiatives for the Stewart Investors investment team. Prior to joining Stewart Investors in October 2012, Jennifer worked in Communications within the automotive industry.
Jennifer graduated from Northumbria University with a BA (Hons) in Marketing Management. She has been involved in Future Asset from its inception and is passionate about the opportunities it provides to many young women.
Clare Gibson
National Projects Manager, Developing the Young Workforce Scotland
Clare joined the Developing the Young Workforce network in 2020, beginning this journey as a Programme Delivery Manager in the Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian regional group, before moving into the National Projects Team.
Prior to joining DYW, Clare has worked within a local authority managing work placements for high school age young people, designing and delivering 16+ employability programmes and was Head of Mentoring of an Edinburgh based mentoring organisation.
Passionate about equality and working with young people Clare is the Chairperson of The WHY Project, a youth work organisation based in South Edinburgh and also sits as a trustee with Lothian Association of Youth Clubs (LAYC).
In her spare time Clare like to to spend time with her two nephews, listen to podcasts and swim ( in a swimming pool and in the open water), but not all at the same time!
Rhona McHugh
Head of Employee Experience, Baillie Gifford & Co
Rhona has worked in HR for 20 years and during this time has worked across Reward & Benefits, HR Business Partnering and most recently in Employee Experience. She leads the Employee Experience team at Baillie Gifford who focus on D&I, Wellbeing and Employee Engagement. Having been unfamiliar with Investment Management until joining Baillie Gifford in 2013, she is dedicated to raising awareness of the breadth of opportunity the industry has to offer and the different skills that can thrive in it. As an advocate and admirer of Future Asset through her day to day D&I work she was delighted to join the Steering Committee in 2021. Outside of work, Rhona is kept busy with her two young children and a house renovation!
Claire MacLean
Investment Director, Investec Wealth and Investment
Claire is an Investment Director at Investec Wealth & Investment in Edinburgh and has worked for the company for 10 years. Claire manages private client portfolios for her own clients, whilst also supporting a Senior Investment Director. Starting out in financial services as a bank teller for the Bank of Scotland, Claire applied to move within the organisation to their Portfolio Management Service as administrative support to Portfolio Managers. Here she gained a detailed understanding of the administrative process, which encouraged Claire to do her banking exams and then investment exams to become qualified to manage investment portfolios.
Claire is an enthusiastic volunteer for Future Asset as she knows how difficult it is to get into the industry when you don’t know anyone to call on for advice or get a foot in the door. Having taken part in Roadshows, Educator Events, our conference, competition mentoring and developing work experience opportunities, she joined the Steering Group in 2020.
Alice Paterson
Director, Zing Coaching
Alice is passionate about motivating and inspiring others and founded Zing Coaching in 2020. As well as coaching, she also runs workplace wellbeing workshops on topics such as resilience and harmonious working relationships. Prior to founding Zing, Alice was on the investment team at Kennox Asset Management in Edinburgh where she enjoyed researching companies and had a particular interest in Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG). Alice is keen to help other females believe that they deserve to pursue any opportunity they wish.
Her involvement with Future Asset is to help girls find out about opportunities available to them as well as overcome limiting beliefs that may be holding them back.
Charlotte Tait
Senior Legal Counsel, First Sentier Investors
Charlotte is a lawyer working at First Sentier Investors, based in Edinburgh. Fund management wasn’t something she was aware of as a career option at school so it wasn’t a sector she ever imagined herself in. Fourteen years later, it’s safe to say that the move into fund management has been a really good one!
Charlotte has been involved in Future Asset from its inception and is passionate about the amazing opportunities it provides to so many young women. She loves supporting others and is really interested in helping others explore their next steps after school. In addition to Future Asset, Charlotte has 3 children, is a director of two businesses and supports her husband in running his two also, showing that you can have a work-life balance when you work in fund management!
Angus Tulloch
Former Joint Managing Partner, Stewart Investors
Formerly Joint Managing Partner of Stewart Investors, where he worked as a Fund Manager for 28 years, Angus Tulloch helped set-up the first Future Asset Conference in 2017. Now retired, he continues as a member of the Future Asset Steering Committee.