Membership Directory - Individual

John Bolton

Allianz Global Investors

About

Bio: John is Head of Strategic Content and Investment Insights at Allianz Global Investors, responsible for communicating the firm's knowledge and expertise to clients and other audiences.
He's a member of an LGBT+ workstream at AllianzGI and also a member of the Allianz Pride Board. Set up in early 2018, this work stream is dedicated to making sure every employee can bring their whole self to work, and building a global network for LGBT+ staff and allies. John considers this an exciting time to work in the investment industry, where firms are focused on reinforcing their relevance to clients and addressing more complex investment needs. Building more diverse teams - that reflect the diversity of clients and bring fresh thinking - is critical to this effort. Another priority is to present financial services - and asset management, in particular - as a career route for a wider cross-section of candidates. Securing the best talent will be even more critical to success in future. Candidates will want to work for organisations that reflect their own outlook and values, and provide an inclusive environment for them to make the biggest contribution. John joined AllianzGI in 2017 from State Street, where he was a founding committee member of the Pride UK network. He wrote speeches for executives on diversity issues, guided the annual Stonewall Workplace Equality Index (WEI) submission, and received Stonewall training as a role model. He also provided career counselling at drop-in sessions at a local LGBT charity.
With 20 years' experience in marketing and communications roles, John knows the power of a good story and a clear message. In fact, he's done a Ted talk on the subject. Using examples from Shakespeare, he showed how organisations can be more imaginative and think laterally as they face up to a changing world. Harnessing the power of diverse thinking is core to that mission.