We caught up with Zoe Dunkley, who has recently moved from Product Strategy and Development at Invesco, to become a Product Director for the Henley Asian and EM Equities Team.
Zoe, tell us a bit about you
I have been at Invesco for three and a half years and I joined straight out of university. I started on the Investment 20/20 programme as a Product Management Trainee and my role quickly developed into a dual role, covering both Product Management and Pricing. I have also been working towards my CFA Charter, with just Level III left, which I plan to take in 2024. In my free time I like to spend time with my friends and family and I have been fortunate to have had some great holidays (Covid allowing!). Currently, I live with my university friends (one also works at Invesco in the ETF team!) and I like spending time at home with them whenever I can.
Tell us a bit about your change in role.
I’m moving to the Product Director role in the Henley Asian and EM Equities team from the Product Development department. I only moved at the start of April so I’m still getting to grips with my new role – there is lots to learn! In my new role I will need to have a deep knowledge of the capabilities of the team and their investment research. I will be working closely with the Sales teams, supporting both existing and potential clients, to ensure that the products are effectively positioned in the market place and meet the needs of clients.
Very exciting - what helped you take the next step in your career?
I have been lucky to receive great support from senior leadership, who encouraged me to take this next step. In particular, the Head of Product Strategy and Development, advocated for me and encouraged me to think of my next steps. Equally, my managers supported my development, both in my role and thinking about the longer term. As a result, at the end of last year, I was selected to join the first cohort of the Diversity Project’s new programme, Pathway. The Pathway Programme is designed to develop female portfolio managers of the future. I am grateful to have been put forward for the programme - both being selected and the programme itself have given me a boost in confidence.
What does the change in role mean for you?
I am excited to learn, both new skills and a deeper understanding of the investment process. As I’m still at the beginning of my career, I am keen to learn as much as possible. Changing roles was a great opportunity to do just that and although I loved my role in the Product Development department, I knew it was worth taking a risk and trying something new. So far, I have been really enjoying it!
Undoubtedly, you'll need to learn new skills - what's your approach for that?
That’s a good (and difficult!) question. This is the second time now, at Invesco, that I’ve been starting a role without knowing exactly what to expect. I think I will take a similar approach to last time. I think you can learn a lot from role models in the team, by observing those around you and what you think they do well, you can pick up techniques to use yourself. I was fortunate in my last team to have plenty of experienced role models to look up to and the same seems to be true in my new team as well. Ultimately though, I think the best way to learn is to throw yourself in and give things a go, learning from any mistakes and focusing on just improving for next time.
Keen to find out more about life at Invesco? Head over to their profile to explore their opportunities.