Reflecting the unique dynamics and challenges inherent in the role of the ACD CEO, we are pleased to hold our inaugural meeting of FBC corporate member fund board CEOs on the 20th of March at 12 noon to 1.30 pm. This will be an opportunity to discuss topics specific to the role with industry peers in a closed-door, roundtable session.
This is an in-person meeting, and Doug Abbott, Schroders’ CEO for their ACD, has kindly agreed to be our host. Kirstene Baillie, a partner at London law firm FieldFisher LLP with deep expertise in the regulatory environment and responsibilities facing fund board CEOs, will be our subject matter expert, and FBC will be represented by Catherine Battershill and Shiv Taneja.
This meeting is exclusively for FBC corporate members and is invite only.
Contributors
Kirstene is a financial services specialist, with particular expertise in acting for asset managers in relation to investment funds and products. She has enjoyed long term advisory roles with many household names firms and participated at the cutting edge of product development over many years.
Kirstene is best known for her reputation in advising on regulated funds and being a “go to” person when difficult issues arise. Having never been pigeon holed in a narrow area however, she retains an exceptional overview of the regulatory environment for asset managers and their product ranges. Kirstene continues to provide strategic advice to leading players in the marketplace, and to participate in UK regulatory developments for fund regulation.
She assisted the regulator on the introduction of the COLL Rules for UK authorised funds and was a member of the FCA’s Legal Experts Group on the implementation of AIFMD. Currently Kirstene is a member of the Investment Association’s Legal Working Group on the Direct 2 Fund initiative. She is a Member of the Lexis PSL Financial Services Consulting Editorial Board.
Her expertise is acknowledged by UK and international legal directories, including being named as one of the world’s leading female practitioners in Investment funds section in Euromoney’s Women in Business Law guide in September 2022. Kirstene is ranked as a highly regarded lawyer by IFLR 1000 (2023), the Guide to the world’s leading financial law firms in respect of financial services, investment funds and investment management.
In addition to her role as a partner at Fieldfisher LLP, Kirstene is a non-executive director of three of Columbia Threadneedle’s UK OEICs and of Allianz Global Investors UK Limited.
CEO, Fund Boards Council
Shiv Taneja is the CEO of Fund Boards Council, a professional members organisation that supports good governance outcomes on investment fund boards in the UK and across Europe. A key distinguishing feature of FBC is the wrap-around engagement and support it provides to its membership: coverage for the whole board (chair, iNEDs and executive directors) as well as those key senior executives, not on the board, but crucial to the success of the investment boards they support.
Shiv leads FBC’s Board Advisory Services, a high-touch, bespoke consultative service focusing around two key governance themes: cost/transparency and board effectiveness.
Shiv has 30 years’ research and consulting experience in and around the global asset management industry, and over the past decade has developed a deep professional interest in corporate and investment fund board governance.
Shiv has degrees in accounting and finance, and is a professional non-executive director, having qualified with the FT-NED, Level 7 Advanced Professional Diploma in 2013.
In addition to his work around investment fund board governance, Shiv is a recognised industry authority, media commentator and regular conference speaker on trends in the global asset management industry, having led and completed numerous large industry-wide studies in the area of market sizing, product development and distribution trends in both the retail and institutional segments of the industry.
Catherine Battershill is the Managing Director of Fund Boards Council. She has over 15 years of experience of marketing and communications in asset management in Europe and Asia. During the course of her career, Catherine has led regional marketing and communications initiatives across major institutional and wholesale retail markets and overseen the development of an international thought-leadership programme for a leading multi-national asset manager.
Catherine has held voluntary board roles in education and a children’s charity, through which she has developed a strong interest in governance topics. This, combined with her asset management background, led her to join Shiv in setting up Fund Boards Council.
