IA Conference 2025: Scotland

Karen Northey, Director of Corporate Affairs, The Investment Association

Karen leads the Corporate Affairs function at the Investment Association (IA), which includes Communications, UK Government Affairs and European and International Regulatory Affairs. Karen joined the IA from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) in March 2022 where she was Head of China, International Markets and Head of Government Relations, Asia Pacific. Prior to LSEG, Karen worked at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) where she held a number of roles including leading the FCA’s international relations function and the asset management and funds policy team.

Karen holds a JD/LLB and a BA from the University of Ottawa in Canada and an LLM from the London School of Economics. She is a qualified solicitor in both the UK and in Ontario, Canada.

Chris Cummings, Chief Executive Officer, The Investment Association

Chris Cummings is the Chief Executive of The Investment Association, a post he has held since September 2016.  The Investment Association is the trade body that represents UK-based investment managers.

He is a member of HM Treasury’s Investment Management Taskforce, and was a founding member of its Financial Services Trade & Investment Board. He serves on the Chancellor’s Financial Services Industry Advisory Group and Department for International Trade’s Financial Services Trade Advisory Group.  He is a Board member on EFAMA, the European trade association for investment management and a previous Board member of IIFA, the international association for investment management.  He is also a Chair of Just Finance Foundation.

He was previously a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulatory Decisions Committee, a Settlement Decision Maker for the Payment Services Regulator.  He served on the Foreign & Commonwealth’s Diplomatic Excellence Panel.

Before joining The Investment Association he was the founding CEO of TheCityUK, held senior posts in banking, insurance and consulting with major global firms. He is a regular columnist, commentator and speaker on issues of international competitiveness and regulation in financial services.

Kirstie MacGillivray, UK CEO, Aegon AM

Kirstie MacGillivray, Aegon Asset Management UK plc CEO, is responsible for managing the change, growth and performance of the UK business. Kirstie’s nearly three decades of financial services experience spans asset management, investment banking and hedge funds. Previously, she held positions at Barrie & Hibbert, BCS Asset Management, Morgan Stanley and UBS Investment Bank. Kirstie has been in the industry since 1995 and started with the firm in 2008. She received her LLB (Hons) from University of Glasgow.

Tim Campbell, Managing Partner, Baillie Gifford

Tim became managing partner, and CEO in April 2025, having been a partner of the firm since 2012. In conjunction with the two other managing partners, he is responsible for managing the partnership as well as setting and implementing the firm’s strategy. Tim joined Baillie Gifford in 1999, initially working as an investment manager in the Emerging Markets Equity Team, before moving to the Clients Department in 2007. He graduated BA in History from Trinity College, Dublin in 1997.

Wendy Ferguson, Chief Executive, McInroy & Wood

Wendy Ferguson is Chief Executive at McInroy & Wood, an independent investment management firm. Her leadership has played a key role in the firm’s operational development and ongoing growth. Wendy joined the company in 2012 as Director of Operations & IT and was appointed Chief Executive in June 2025, becoming the first non-family member to lead the firm. Wendy graduated in Accountancy from the University of Aberdeen and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1994. She went on to hold senior roles at Scottish Widows across operations, finance, risk, and the chief executive’s office, bringing with her wide-ranging experience from across the financial services sector.

Kate Forbes MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Gaelic

Kate Forbes is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency (which includes Dingwall, the Black Isle and the Great Glen). She is the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Gaelic in the Scottish Government.

Kate is from Dingwall, although she spent part of her upbringing in Glasgow and India. Until she was elected as MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Kate was employed as an accountant in the banking industry. Prior to that she studied History at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.

First elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016, she was re-elected as the constituency MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch in May 2021.

Kate first joined the Government in June 2018, as Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy. She subsequently served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy from February 2020 to March 2023.

Carol Thomas, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investment, The Investment Association

Carol started her career in EU regulatory affairs in Brussels before joining the FSA in 2010. Carol’s work at the FSA/FCA spanned pension policy, financial disclosure and leading on life insurance thematic reviews. She also spent a year working for the Irish Department of Finance in Brussels covering financial services files in the European Council. In 2018, Carol joined the Investment Association as a Retail Markets Specialist covering all issues related to the regulation and distribution of retail funds in the UK and across the EU. Following a short period as Head of Asset Management Policy for M&G, Carol re-joined the IA and was appointed Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investment, leading on the full range of sustainability & responsible Investment issues impacting investment management industry today.

Amanda Young, Senior Advisor, GEFI

Amanda is an sustainability professional with over 27 years’ experience in financial services, including senior roles at Aberdeen Investments, Newton Investment Management, CCLA, and Rabobank. As Chief Sustainability Officer at Aberdeen Investments, she led the firm’s sustainable investment strategy. She is a Senior Advisory to the Global Ethical Finance Institute, Big Issue Invest and is a member of the University of Edinburgh’s Responsible Investment Advisory Group.

Amanda has held board positions with Social Investment Scotland’s Ventures Fund and the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF). She played a significant role on various UK and Scottish Government taskforces on impact investment, purposeful business and green and sustainable finance.

Amanda has received numerous accolades for her work, including 6 years on the Financial News top 100 most influential women in European Finance, the inaugural winner of Women in Investment Awards Sustainable & ESG Investment Woman of the Year and the Financial News’ Fifty Most Influential in Sustainable Finance list.

She holds a BSc in Psychology from Lancaster University and completed the Executive Women’s Leadership Programme at the University of Edinburgh Business School

Marion Aubert, Co-founder - Chief International Officer, Weefin

Passionate about innovation and sustainability, she is dedicated to driving impact at the crossroads of finance, technology, and responsible investing. She co-founded WeeFin to help financial institutions integrate ESG and sustainable finance through advanced software solutions. Leading the company’s international growth, she focuses on expanding into the UK market. A key force behind the platform’s development and scale-up, she ensures it delivers strong value to clients. Alongside her operational role, she sits on the Board and Executive Committee, shaping the company’s strategy and governance. In 2025, she was recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30.

Richard Nicol, Director, Altiora Consulting

Richard is a senior leader in financial services with deep expertise in ESG data, regulation, and sustainable investing. He advises asset managers and pension funds on how to navigate evolving disclosure frameworks and translates complex ESG data into actionable insights for investment and risk decision-making. A specialist in ESG data and reporting solutions, Richard focuses on bridging sustainability, technology, and regulation to shape the future of responsible investment.

Ashley Alder, Chair, Financial Conduct Authority

Ashley Alder became Chair of the FCA Board in February 2023. Ashley was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong, a role he has held since 2011. He also chaired the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

Ashley began his career as a lawyer in London in 1984 and practised in Hong Kong for more than 20 years. He was Executive Director of the SFC's Corporate Finance Division from 2001 to 2004, before returning to private practice at Herbert Smith LLP, a law firm, as Head of Asia.

Jonathan Lipkin, Director - Policy, Strategy and Innovation, The Investment Association

Jonathan is Director of Policy, Strategy and Innovation at The Investment Association (IA) and a longstanding member of the IA's Executive Committee.

Jonathan’s role focuses on helping the investment management industry to best serve its customer markets at a time of accelerating change. The PSI Division has evolved into a multi-disciplinary and diverse team that covers a wide range of policy and regulation affecting the industry, including competition, communication, financial stability and fund governance, as well as the broader shape of pensions and long-term savings markets.

It also houses a specialist Innovation and Operations Unit to assist the industry in adapting to new technologies and help shape the broader landscape. Jonathan joined the IA in 2005, becoming Director of Public Policy and a member of the IA Executive Committee in 2012. Prior to 2005, he worked for a number of years at Oxford Analytica, a geopolitical analysis and advisory firm. At OA, he led European political and economic analysis serving a wide range of corporate and government clients, both domestic and overseas.

Jonathan is a Board Member of the Cost Transparency Initiative, Chair of the EFAMA Pensions Group, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Asset Management Research at Bayes Business School. He writes and speaks regularly both in the UK and abroad on investment management and pensions issues.

Dean Proctor, CEO, 7IM

Dean became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at 7IM in April 2019. He has 25 years of experience in the Financial Services sector encompassing leadership roles in businesses in the UK and the Middle East.

He began his career at Lloyds Bank, joined Citibank as UK Marketing Director then went on to run their Credit Cards business in the Middle East before returning to the UK as the Managing Director of UK Retail and Wealth Management and Egg Banking plc. From 2009, he spent three years as CEO of Arbuthnot Latham Private Bank Ltd then moved to Qatar as Executive General Manager of Retail, Private and Commercial Banking for Commercial Bank of Qatar. He returned to the UK in 2016 where he joined Barclays Bank, initially to lead the Private Global Clients business, then following the Structural Reform Programme he moved to head the UK Unsecured Lending business that included Barclaycard.

Taking on the leadership of 7IM, he sees as a great challenge and a privilege to build on the legacy of the founders and to lead the business to the next level.

Karagh Gilliatt, Partner, CMS

Karagh specialises in UK authorised funds, asset and transitions management, long-term insurance and the provision of general regulatory and compliance advice. A core part of Karagh’s practice relates to the establishment and operation of UK authorised funds. Karagh’s investment funds practice has been innovative, and she was involved in setting-up the first real estate fund authorised under COLL; the first (and subsequent) ranges of capital protected funds; the UK’s first Tax-Elected Fund; as well as the UK’s first authorised tokenised fund. More recently, Karagh has been focussing on the establishment and authorisation of LTAFs for a range of different clients.

Karagh is recognised in the Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame” for her investment funds work and in 2024, the Legal 500 Scotland Finance lawyer of the year.

James King, Senior Policy Adviser, The Investment Association

James King is the Senior Policy Adviser at the Investment Association responsible for operational resilience, cyber resilience and technology.

Michele Henry, Head of Operational Resilience, Aberdeen Investments

Michele is responsible for driving global frameworks of Operational Resilience, Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), and Business Continuity. She focuses on resilience assurance across numerous legal entities of the PLC, managed service agreements, and critical third-party suppliers to support key customer interests.

Michele’s career began with 5 years of IT and transitioned into 20 years of Financial Services.  Her roles have spanned from technical product development, to compliance and risk management, to delivery of strategic programmes in the UK, USA, Ireland, Germany, and India.

Antony Slee, Sales Director, FundGuard 

Antony Slee is responsible for leading FundGuard's business development initiatives across EMEA. Prior to joining FundGuard, Antony worked as a senior leader with some of the world’s leading financial organisations and technology solution providers, responsible for developing go-to-market strategies and execution in support of international business growth.   
 
Antony has successfully grown revenue in several geographic regions, with a proven track record of developing new business, as well as breaking into new markets/regions to develop new opportunities. Antony understands complex operating models and business requirements, whereby he has helped financial institutions design and deliver strategic enterprise-wide solutions, providing guidance from both a business and technology perspective. 
 
Antony has gained numerous professional qualifications, including the Financial Planning Certificate (FPC), Investment Administration Qualification (IAQ), Investment Management Certificate (IMC) and Level One of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. 

Nicola is a Director in BDO’s Financial Services Advisory team, focusing on regulatory, compliance and risk matters. She has over 17 years’ experience helping firms navigate regulatory change and deal with matters such as Operational Resilience, third part risk management and Consumer Duty .

Nicola has supported firms meeting operational resilience requirements and expectations. She has conducted multiple reviews and projects on this topic, these include support with implementation, as well as regulatory reviews of operational resilience arrangements.

Gerrad Olisa-Ashar, Director Strategic Partnerships, ToraGuard

Gerrad Olisa-Ashar has decades of experience advising business leaders on technology and cybersecurity transformation. He is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at ToraGuard where he partners with business leaders to align cyber resilience programs with business goals, strengthen risk posture, and meet evolving regulatory requirements. Gerrad is driven by a commitment to turning complex cyber resilience challenges into clear practical strategies that deliver measurable business value.

Dr. Sonia Schulenburg, Chief Executive Officer, Level-E Research

Dr. Sonia Schulenburg is the founder and CEO of Level E Research, a pioneer in AI-empowered investing and autonomous asset management. With over two decades of experience and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, she has dedicated her career to building a fully autonomous ecosystem for the entire investment management process. Her visionary work has attracted over $160 million in funding and led to key partnerships with major financial institutions like Baillie Gifford, M&G and Aberdeen. Her team's innovations include the development of what is believed to be the world's first fully autonomous fund and a cutting-edge AI Compliance Agent (AICA) for market surveillance.

Aleks Tomczyk, Chief Executive Designate, FinTech Scotland

Miranda Seath, Director of Market Insight & Fund Sectors, The Investment Association

Miranda leads the team analysing data and trends in UK investment management, producing evidence-based insight to support the IA’s policy agenda. The division provides insight to members and external stakeholders through the Investment Management Survey, retail funds market commentary and investor research. Miranda is also responsible for the IA Sectors, the fund classification scheme designed to help UK investors navigate the retail fund universe.

Miranda joined the IA in May 2019. Before joining, she was Research Director at Platforum and NextWealth, research and consulting firms focused on retail investment distribution.

Duncan Lamont, Head of Strategic Research, Schroders

Duncan Lamont is Head of Strategic Research at Schroders. He writes actionable, thought leadership research which offers insights to help Schroders’ clients make better investing decisions. His work covers a wide range of topics and asset classes, both public and private.

Duncan has 21 years of experience. Prior to joining Schroders nearly ten years ago, he was a principal in the Global Asset Allocation team at Aon. There, he was responsible for the development of the firm’s long term strategic capital market assumptions, and driving its medium term asset allocation views. He also had spells as an assistant director at a corporate finance boutique and as a trainee investment consultant. Duncan is a CFA charterholder with a Masters in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics from the University of Warwick.

Anas Sarwar MSP, Leader of the Scottish Labour Party

Anas has been at the forefront of Scottish politics for a decade, having served as an MP, MSP, and Leader of the Scottish Labour Party since 2021. His priority is to campaign for a Scotland that offers opportunity and aspiration for all.

Molly Nolan, Government Affairs Manager, The Investment Association

Alex Massie, Columnist, The Times and The Sunday Times

Alex Massie is a columnist for The Times and The Sunday Times, chiefly focusing on Scottish politics. He has written for most British newspapers and many international ones including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Irish Times. He has also been Scotland Editor of The Spectator and, previously, Washington Correspondent for The Scotsman. Raised in the Scottish Borders he now divides his time between Edinburgh and the Isle of Jura. 

Jason Windsor, Chief Executive, Aberdeen

Jason was appointed as Aberdeen’s Chief Executive Officer in September 2024, having joined as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in October 2023. With over 30 years of industry experience, Jason brings a strong track record of leadership in finance, asset management, mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning.

He previously served as CFO of UK housebuilder Persimmon and in several leadership roles at Aviva, including as the group’s CFO, CFO of Aviva UK, Chief Capital & Investments Officer and as a director on the board of Aviva Investors.

Jason previously spent 15 years at Morgan Stanley in London and Singapore, latterly as a managing director within its investment banking division, where he advised UK and international banks, insurers and asset managers on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and strategy.

David Hickey, Head of Sustainability UK, BlackRock

David Hickey, CFA, Director, is the Head of Sustainability for BlackRock’s UK business. David supports sustainability efforts across the UK business, including assisting the client and consultant teams in driving the sustainability and transition discussion with clients, working with product and investment teams to drive innovation in products, and working with marketing to improve the perception of BlackRock in sustainability and stewardship.

Prior to his time at BlackRock, David spent 11 years at Lothian Pension Fund. Here, he managed a 300m GBP European fundamental equity portfolio, focussed on a concentrated portfolio of stocks showing high quality characteristics. He was also deputy manager on the 1.2bn GBP Global High Dividend Fund. In addition to his role as a portfolio manager, David also led LPF’s efforts in responsible investment across all asset classes. In addition to work at LPF, he led the firm’s collaborative endeavours, working with other asset owners across the world. David regularly hosted events for IIGCC (the Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change), led two engagements for Climate Action 100+, chaired the UK Pension Fund RI Roundtable, and founded the Asset Owner Diversity Charter alongside Brunel Pension Partnership. David also founded the successful responsible investment podcast Talking Responsibly. He retains a particularly close relationship with the institutional asset owner community in the UK and beyond.