As part of our Diversity on the Desk series, we spoke to Ako Nishi, equity trader at JP Morgan Asset Management in Hong Kong, about her experience in moving cultures, her firm’s approach to supporting inclusion, and how unconscious bias can still be a challenge…
Last year, JP Morgan Asset Management Global Equity Trading set an objective to work on DE&I development as a group. Since then, our trading desk has taken great strides in facilitating every team member’s engagement on the topic. Throughout the year, we’ve had opportunities to participate in various volunteering events for both external and internal organizations and also get involved with tutoring sessions with students from various backgrounds. This has not only accelerated our awareness of DE&I issues but also boosted our team spirit by creating shared goals and achievements outside the daily trading business.
Participating in these activities reminded me how difficult it is not to have unconscious bias at all. For example, when I shared my story and career path with students at some events, I realized that what is normal to me may not always be normal to others. I grew up and worked in Japan until I relocated to Hong Kong five years ago. Here in Hong Kong, the students I interacted with are from different cultures, different education systems and different generations which can result in perspectives that are new and fresh to me. Perhaps we can become more or less biased over time, so I believe we need to make conscious efforts to remove unconscious bias for a better society with an inclusive culture that can create innovation. Thanks to the desk’s initiatives and participations in DE&I development, I’ve been able to update my mindset in the past year, which is an important first step for me to understand DE&I topics better and increase my involvement there.
Our trading desk is diversified in terms of gender and nationality. As someone who comes from a unique culture and background and whose first language is not one of the primary languages spoken regionally or globally, my approaches can, at times, be quite different from that of my colleagues. But my trading desk is generally team-oriented, and we respect each other’s strengths. Thanks to this supportive culture and the management team on the desk, I have been able to build my career by developing my strengths while understanding that the ways in which I may be different from my colleagues can be a positive factor rather than a negative one.
By next year, I would like to see this type of aptitude-based task assignment on our trading desk even more frequently so that each member’s strength is well recognized in the company-wide evaluation framework. This type of recognition will not only enhance our community but also influence industry peers to nurture a diversified and inclusive society for our next generation. Our APAC trading desk consists of three sub-desks, Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai, and each colleague has her/his own skillset and unique cultural background.
I’d like to see continued efforts to support each other on the desk so that every team member gets the opportunity and experience to enhance and showcase their unique skills and perspective, which can be essential for her/his career development. This could be achieved by participation in trainings, attending industry-wide events, leading projects with global teams, joining business resource groups in the company, etc. Or even flexible workhour and workstyles could be arranged if needed and requested, and the arrangement will support her/him to perform best as a member on our trading desk.
International Women’s Day gives me a chance to pause and think about diversity and inclusion in general, and every year I reflect on the community that I belong to, such as my workplace, the industry, culture lessons community, Hong Kong, my home country Japan, etc., to consider if there is diversity not only in gender, race, ethnicity, age, physical abilities but also in terms of personality and values that come from lifestyle and upbringing. It also gives me an opportunity to reassess how I, as an individual, can continuously contribute to this meaningful cause and make an impact not only within the firm but also to the broader community.
Systems and technologies evolve over time, which should support diversity in many ways as it gives us more options in education and work as well as remove some hurdles in language and physical abilities. With a more diversified community, we should foster and embrace a new set of values that will spur innovations and enrich society. The whole series of events around International Women’s Day encourages us to celebrate ourselves and realize that being different is a powerful thing.
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