Vanessa is a Partner and Chief People Officer, responsible for the Firm's people strategy including the attraction, development and growth of over 1,000 individuals across the Firm. She is co-chair of the Firm's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee and has implemented new targets and policies to tackle any disparities, identified key areas we can drive change and be champions of social mobility. An advocate of flexible working, she has overseen changes to the Firm's approach over a number of years.
Vanessa is a member of the Rethinking Assessment working group, a coalition of state and independent schools, universities, academics, employers and other stakeholders, which aims to value the strengths of every child.
Prior to joining the Firm in 2008 Vanessa worked in the financial and banking industries, having been a Director of Human Resources responsible for Talent Development in EMEA at Lehman Brothers and, prior to that, the bank's Head of Fixed Income HR for Europe. Previously, Vanessa was the Director of Client Staff Management for the M&A bank Broadview (now part of Jefferies) and has also gained business management experience in the Technology, Education and Retail sectors. She has a BA Hons in Business Studies and a Masters in Human Resource Management from Sheffield Hallam University and is a Graduate of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development.