Robyn Grew's meteoric rise as the first woman CEO of Man Group, the world's largest listed hedge fund manager with a record high of $151.7 billion as of June 30, stems from relishing the unexpected twists and turns of the finance industry.
"At every point when somebody said, 'Would you like to do this job or would you like to go to this place?' I've said yes, even if it didn't kind of look like it made sense," said Ms. Grew, who took the helm as chief executive of the firm on Sept. 1.
Based in London, Ms. Grew, a qualified criminal barrister who attended Coventry University, experienced her first brush with the unexpected in 1999 when she was working in compliance for Lehman Brothers in London. Japanese regulators raided Lehman as part of an investigation into accusations that the firm and others had helped Japanese financial institutions, like Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, conceal losses.
"I came back from holiday and the general counsel sort of tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Hey, the regulators have just raided us … they'd just come out of Credit Suisse and we'd like you to get on it. You and I are getting on a plane tomorrow and we're going to Japan.' And there for the next year, I went back and forth to Japan maybe nine or 10 times."
Ms. Grew, who was formerly president of Man and began her career there as chief compliance officer in 2009, said women hold tremendous influence on Wall Street and noted that "being the different person in the room" is an advantage.
Ms. Grew said she didn't come from a financial services background, nor did she attend an Ivy League school.
"I come with a difference as a woman. I come because I identify in the queer community. I come with a lot of things that kind of go, 'Well, that's different,' and I've used that as a superpower."
