Meet the team behind City Hive

Alan joined City Hive because he saw an opportunity to grow the adoption of ACT across the investment industry.

He has spent over two decades in distribution within asset management.

He has used that experience and network to help grow the ACT community from its early stages.

Bhavini ‘Bev’ Shah is the Founder and Co-Chief Executive of City Hive, an independent think tank focused on culture, governance and stewardship in investment management.

With experience spanning fund manager research and senior roles within major asset managers, Bev brings deep insight into how investment institutions allocate capital, manage risk and govern decision-making. Her work focuses on the impact of corporate culture on market integrity and system-wide resilience.

She is one of the architects of the ACT corporate culture standard for investment companies, now widely used to identify and mitigate corporate behaviour risk and strengthen long-term decision-making across the sector.

Before founding City Hive, Bev held roles at Aviva Investors, Aviva Life and HSBC Investments, and began her City career as an equity trader on the Bear Stearns graduate scheme.

Bev previously served as a Non-Executive Director of The Big Exchange, where she chaired its regulated entity, served as Consumer Duty Champion and was a member of the Nominations Committee.

She is a member of the Guild of Investment Managers and holds the Freedom of the City of London.

Erich has over 35 years’ experience in financial services, including more than two decades leading global businesses in institutional and wholesale markets. He is Chief Executive Officer of RBC BlueBay Asset Management.

He brings senior industry leadership, international perspective and executive coaching experience to City Hive. As a Senior Advisor, he supports the leadership team with strategic advice, challenge and mentoring as the organisation continues to grow.

Mandy Kirby is the Co-Chief Executive of City Hive, an independent think tank focused on culture, governance and stewardship in investment management.

With over two decades of experience spanning research and risk analysis, sustainability, investor reporting and standards development, Mandy brings deep expertise in sustainable finance, organisational standards and governance frameworks.

She is one of the architects of the ACT corporate culture standard for investment companies, now widely used to identify and mitigate corporate behaviour risk and strengthen long-term decision-making across the sector.

Before joining City Hive, Mandy was Chief Reporting Officer at the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), where she advanced global investor reporting and disclosure, and worked with international financial and sustainability standard setters to improve reporting quality. She is the author of the British Standard on Responsible and Sustainable Investment Management (BSI PAS 7341) and was a member of the BSI Strategic Advisory Group for Sustainable Finance.

Mandy brings an investor, corporate and policy perspective to her work. She served as Chair of the Shell Sustainability Report Review Panel, was a member of the HM Treasury- and BEIS-backed City of London Socioeconomic Diversity Taskforce, and previously advised global organisations on risk management and sustainability at Maplecroft.

With over 20 years’ experience in publishing, Mary has built her career managing projects involving multiple contributors, tight deadlines and consistently high standards.

At City Hive, she supports the delivery of projects and events, working closely with clients, stakeholders and the wider team.

Mary has a talent for bringing order to complexity, spotting the gaps and making sure nothing is overlooked.

Her ability to keep projects and priorities moving helps City Hive deliver on its commitments.

Natalie joined City Hive because she shared its ambition to raise standards across the investment industry.

She has spent almost two decades covering the investment industry as an award-winning journalist and editor.

Throughout her career, she has helped shape industry conversations around governance, sustainability and diversity, including leading Portfolio Adviser’s Better Governance campaign.

She has used that perspective and industry insight to help translate complex ideas into industry discussion through City Hive’s content, communications and editorial output.

Richard founded, built and grew two businesses within the investment industry, OBSR and Square Mile, which were later acquired by Morningstar and Titan Wealth respectively.

He brings the perspective of a seasoned entrepreneur. He mentors and advises the leadership team, bringing challenge and practical commercial insight to key decisions.

Taylor is the guardian of City Hive’s visual identity. He leads City Hive’s creative and digital work, shaping how the organisation and ACT are presented.

Taylor has a natural creative instinct and thrives in an environment where he has the freedom to explore ideas without being constrained by convention.

He has played a central role in building a distinctive brand that reflects City Hive’s values.