"A match made in heaven": Q&A with Janus Henderson's new Head of Operations Donna Crawford
Donna Crawford may have fallen into the industry by mistake but the rest, as she says, is history. Now, as the newly-appointed head of operations for Janus Henderson Investors, she tells Industry Moves of the challenges and opportunities ahead; reflects on how the operations space has changed; and shares a little of her formative years and her tight-knit Melbourne clan.
Donna Crawford may have fallen into the industry by mistake but the rest, as she says, is history. Now, as the newly-appointed head of operations for Janus Henderson Investors, she tells Industry Moves of the challenges and opportunities ahead; reflects on how the operations space has changed; and shares a little of her formative years and her tight-knit Melbourne clan.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
Janus Henderson in Australia has that unique 'boutique' or 'small firm' culture, coupled with the backing of a successful, well-established global organisation. That is a match made in heaven in my mind - the opportunity to really make a difference locally for our unitholders and our staff, whilst leveraging the resources, technology and strength of our global brand.
What do you imagine will be some of the biggest challenges?
Having operated in the Australian market for six years, we are now taking stock of what has worked well for the business, what could be improved and where we can take advantage of our global capabilities. Our service providers are a big part of this journey and the partnership we build with them is paramount to our success. One of my biggest focus areas during the first six or so months is to enhance these partnerships and our oversight of them so that we can provide a superior operational service to our clients.
You've been in operations management in the investment sector for some time, how has the role of operations manager/head changed over that time?
In an industry where costs and performance returns are increasingly competitive, a proven operational model can be the difference between winning business and missing out. The value of a robust, well-governed operational model is far more scrutinised than ever before by investors, regulators and competitors. To be able to talk to these processes and controls is imperative for an operations manager and regardless of the operating model design (insourced versus outsourced), responsibility and ownership of processes will always remain within the business.
With regards to due diligence and governance, are ESG issues more considered now than they used to be?
Absolutely. Trends clearly indicate that more leading Australian companies are moving towards more sophisticated reporting of their ESG risks, recognising that this disclosure is material to investment decision-making and should be disclosed to the market in an accurate and timely manner. At Janus Henderson we continue to integrate environmental, social and governance factors into our investment approach as well as measure and minimise our overall impact on the environment itself.
What was your very first job?
I was seventeen when I started working. I worked for a Trustee company as a general data entry clerk. One of those times in my life where I lived from pay cheque to pay cheque without ever really thinking about where I was heading in my career.
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
I grew up in the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a family of five kids. My parents sacrificed an enormous amount to educate each of us for which I will be forever grateful. We were, and still are, a close knit family who all still live in Melbourne.
What is something most people wouldn't know about you?
I fell into this industry by mistake back when university degrees were not a prerequisite to obtaining employment in finance. I applied for a job in the investment division of an insurance company without really knowing what I was getting myself into. A lot of my industry knowledge and operational knowledge, particularly in those early days, was learnt through experience rather than text books. The rest is history. I have always been lucky to work with investment professionals who have been more than generous with their time and knowledge to answer my never-ending questions.
