Membership Directory - Individual
Drew McDowell
Legal & General
About
Bio: Drew McDowell is the Head of Enterprise Risk at Legal & General Capital (LGC). An American based in London for over 12 years, Drew moved to London in 2007 on a secondment that turned into a permanent role within the Royal Bank of Scotland Internal Audit team. Prior to Legal & General, Drew has held positions in internal audit and operational / enterprise risk at Schroders and Janus Henderson Investors, and has spent a year in Denver, Colorado during the time that Henderson Global Investors merged with Janus Capital. He moved back to the UK in 2019, and soon after joined LGC where he is responsible for establishing and embedding an Enterprise Risk Management Framework, and acting in an advisory capacity to the Executive Committee.
Throughout his career, Drew has been an integral in establishing, leading and being a member of various LGBTQ+ employee resource groups (ERG). He helped reinvigorate the Pride ERG in Denver, Colorado and launched an asset management industry ERG across Colorado which focused on bringing peer companies together to collaborate, share best practices and leverage and support each other with delivering on their own ERG objectives. Since joining LGC, Drew has immersed himself in the Diversity & Inclusion networks, such as LEGIT and the Group's L&GBT ERG.
Outside of work, Drew has dedicated much of his time as a senior leader, member and 1st team player within the Kings Cross Steelers Rugby Football Club, which is the first gay and bisexual men's rugby club globally. Although the rugby club has always had the mission and vision to be a diverse and inclusive club, there is recognition that the club also has room for improvement. As a result, Drew is a Diversity Co-Officer within the club, driving the rugby club's diversity and inclusion initiatives and also be a leading example and support within the Rugby Football Union within the UK.
Drew comments: "Being of mixed race background and a gay cis man, I am passionate about becoming a senior leader and role model within the financial services and insurance industry, and demonstrating that people of colour and/or from the LGBTQ+ community can achieve senior leadership roles and break that glass-ceiling."
Throughout his career, Drew has been an integral in establishing, leading and being a member of various LGBTQ+ employee resource groups (ERG). He helped reinvigorate the Pride ERG in Denver, Colorado and launched an asset management industry ERG across Colorado which focused on bringing peer companies together to collaborate, share best practices and leverage and support each other with delivering on their own ERG objectives. Since joining LGC, Drew has immersed himself in the Diversity & Inclusion networks, such as LEGIT and the Group's L&GBT ERG.
Outside of work, Drew has dedicated much of his time as a senior leader, member and 1st team player within the Kings Cross Steelers Rugby Football Club, which is the first gay and bisexual men's rugby club globally. Although the rugby club has always had the mission and vision to be a diverse and inclusive club, there is recognition that the club also has room for improvement. As a result, Drew is a Diversity Co-Officer within the club, driving the rugby club's diversity and inclusion initiatives and also be a leading example and support within the Rugby Football Union within the UK.
Drew comments: "Being of mixed race background and a gay cis man, I am passionate about becoming a senior leader and role model within the financial services and insurance industry, and demonstrating that people of colour and/or from the LGBTQ+ community can achieve senior leadership roles and break that glass-ceiling."
I'm a Co-Chair of the L&GBT+ Allies Network and a member of the Culture Club. I also sit in the working group with InterInvest that is focused on Race Equality & Equity.
It is important within the financial services industry as I believe that the industry is still dominated primarily by white men and people who have come from a certain socioeconomic background, maintain close connections that helped their career possibly through nepotism, and/or followed a certain academic path that has increased their marketability. As a result, mentoring can help people starting their careers or possibly even stuck to support them with navigating their career path and help with understanding how to raise their profile, along with the key characteristics that might help move their career forward (e.g. identifying their career drivers).
Hard question - I'll need to think on this. But overall I'm proud about my ability to establish a great career in a foreign country (UK) with limited support and building my own path, whilst helping others along the way who have been in my position. I very much enjoy coaching and teaching people, especially if it helps their own career development.