About Us - The Diversity Project Charity

What We Do

The Diversity Project Charity is a grant making organisation funding projects to make ours a more inclusive society.

We fund a wide range of organisations, initiatives and projects which aim to improve diversity, equality and inclusion across society and specifically within the finance industry.

Our team is made up of professionals from across financial services. We dedicate the time to both identifying the funding opportunities with the most potential and also supporting those projects. This way of supporting projects gives them the best chance to achieve their maximum impact, and it gives our donors the reassurance that their funding is making a real difference.

Trustees

Our Trustees come from diverse backgrounds, with a wide range of experience and expertise in the Corporate and Charity sectors.

CHRIS GRAY

Chris has been working in financial services for 5 years and for St. James’s Place Wealth Management for the last 4. Through his 10 year career in recruitment, he has helped people move roles and change careers all over the world. Most recently, he has been helping individuals transition into financial services and wealth management. Chris is passionate about helping promote diversity throughout Financial Services.

DAVID HARRIS

Originally from Warwickshire, I went to state school then to King’s College London where I graduated with a BA (Hons) Degree in History and an MA in Intelligence & International Security. I then commissioned into the British Army, serving with the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. In 2009, I deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan as a Platoon Commander on a 6-month operational tour working as part of a multi-national force which included Danes, Estonians and Americans.

Following the Army, I worked at Morgan Stanley in the Institutional Sales and Trading Senior Relationship Management (SRM) team covering institutional clients, before moving to Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM) Frostrow Capital in 2013 as part of the Fund Distribution Team. I continue to manage Fund Distribution for a range of FTSE 250 investment companies.

Outside of work, I enjoy travel, keeping fit and reading. I am also a Trustee of the Mark Evison Foundation (MEF). The MEF’s objective is to promote the personal development of young people through the undertaking of challenges and was founded in memory of Lieutenant Mark Evison, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009.

MARTINA JERSAKOVA

I am originally from Prague in the Czech Republic. From a young age, I have lived an international life which saw me attend a different school approximately every two years, in Prague, Birmingham and Hamburg, before finishing my studies at the University of Edinburgh and then settling in London. This experience has taught me first-hand about the benefits of a diverse and inclusive environment. I have worked in wealth and asset management for over 15 years, primarily in client relationship and business development roles.

As a Trustee and a member of the Fundraising Committee I am delighted to be able to contribute to the charity’s ambition to support a growing number of DEI initiatives primarily through fundraising and marketing. I am also a co-lead for the Diversity Project Ambassadors’ programme, mentor for GAIN (Girls are Investors) and a Trustee of the GenEM Foundation which is a not-for-profit organisation focused on supporting sustainable livelihoods in emerging markets.

DEEPA KRISHNAMACHARI

I join as a Trustee in May 2021, after working with the Charity as a volunteer for over two years. I am currently the Chief of Staff (for Chief Auditor) and Head of Audit at M&G Plc. I am a trained Mental Health First Aider. I look forward to bringing my risk and controls experience to support the Charity in achieving its goals.

I was born and brought up in a small city in south India. I left India soon after the completion of my studies and have been working in a multi-cultural environment since then. I believe that Diversity with its many facets (be it cultural, gender, neuro etc.) is very important for the progress of the industry and the society. The work we have been doing when I was volunteering has motivated me to contribute more by being a Trustee and support the charity to promote various initiatives.

LEE MARSHALL

Lee is the Chief of Staff at the Church of England Pensions Board during the day and an experienced trustee out of the office. He has recently stepped down as Chair of the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation after eight years on the Board, and has served on several other boards including Ditch the Label and Children with Aids Charity. He was a co-founder of Stonewall and their first treasurer. He has also advised charitable boards on ways of working together both in the UK and the States.

Lee has regularly been named on the lists of inspirational LGBT senior executives working globally in the public and third sectors, has been a shortlisted nominee for Campaigner of the Year three times by the European Diversity Awards, and was shortlisted for a British LGBT Award as Inspirational Role Model.

Laura O'Shea

I have worked in asset management for over 15 years, initially in fund research and oversight and more recently in sustainable investment. In my role at M&G Investments I engage with Boards of Directors and senior management on environmental, social and governance issues in order to improve long-term corporate value for clients’ holdings. . I am actively involved in a number of industry-wide initiatives to improve standards in responsible investment and corporate sustainability.

I was born in Nottingham and raised in Melton Mowbray, home of the pork pie. State school educated, I went on to attain a BSc in Business Economics and Finance from Loughborough University and an MSc in Economics from the University of Warwick. While I am unable to claim to be the first in my family to go to university (that goes to my mother) I am the first in my family to go on to study at a post graduate level.

I joined as a Trustee in September 2023 as I am passionate about driving change in our industry. I firmly believe that by bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds – and valuing one another’s input – we can uncover new ways of better serving our clients. I launched M&G’s gender network, Elevate, in November 2019 and held the position of co-chair before stepping down in March 2023 to pursue opportunities to drive change at the industry level.

LUCY RING

Lucy Ring has 16 years of experience in sales, with the majority being undertaken in asset management, focusing on relationship management and business development. She worked at Janus Henderson Investors for over 5 years. In the last two years she undertook a dual role of sales and cultural and behavioural change. She headed up the Global Gender Diversity Group, implementing a strategy to make JHI an employer of choice for top talent, with a gender focused lens. Lucy has now pivoted her career, into a Strategy and Consulting role at M&G, making an impact through business change.

CHLOE TAYLOR

In January 2024 Chloe will take up a new role as Quietroom’s first Chief Executive Officer.

As well as keeping Quietroom on track, Chloe continues to work with clients on strategic communicationprojects. She holds up a mirror to complex pension schemes, joins the dots of large organisations and helps companies gain an aerial view of their business. She is also a Trustee Director of Quietroom’s Employee Ownership Trust.