Her Story
About Katrina
Katrina Dudley serves as Senior Vice President and AI and Sustainability Lead for Public Market Investments at Franklin Templeton, a large asset manager. She moved into asset management in 2000 and spent almost 20 years as a portfolio manager and analyst within Franklin Mutual Series. At the beginning of 2024 she transitioned into the public markets investment leadership team, taking responsibility for the investment sustainability team that supports investment groups with data, research, stewardship, policy, and reporting. She also leads investment-related AI strategy, deployment, and enablement within the public market investment teams. Additionally, she acts as a senior investment strategist and one of the firm's voices on market views. Prior to Franklin Templeton she worked in valuation consulting at Ernst and Young, where she valued items and interacted with management teams, experiences that led her to portfolio management. She is the co-author of the book Undiversified: The Big Gender Short in Investment Management, which analyzes gender representation in investment management and offers solutions.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Katrina
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First, speak up because people can't hear what you're thinking. This applies to expressing career aspirations to your boss or identifying training needs. Second, get sponsors rather than just mentors. A sponsor talks about you when you're not in the room, while a mentor talks about you when you are in the room. Women need to be deliberate in developing a network of sponsors.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Challenges include people confusing competence with confidence, and women being seen as risk-averse when they are actually risk-aware, leading to not taking career risks. Opportunities include bringing unique perspectives to investment decisions, which leads to better decision making, greater alpha, and better performance. Women bring a different lens that enriches the process.
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