Communities
Everything IiFE does is built around one conviction: cognitively diverse teams make better investment decisions, build more resilient organisations and outperform over the long term.
Our communities, programmes and tools exist to help member firms make that happen.
Inclusion only creates value when different perspectives are heard, challenged and used in decision making.
What is cognitive diversity?
Cognitive diversity refers to the different perspectives, experiences, knowledge and ways of thinking that people bring to investment teams.
Research by Professor Alex Edmans, London Business School, confirms that well-led, cognitively diverse teams are better placed to outperform. The range of skills, professional backgrounds and life experiences within a team directly influences the quality of investment decisions.
But cognitive diversity does not happen by accident. It requires deliberate action across three dimensions.
Three dimensions. One goal.
Social mobility determines the range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives available to your organisation. Narrow recruitment pathways mean narrow thinking.
Gender equality ensures the full depth of available talent is developed, progressed and retained at every level, including the most senior.
Inclusive culture determines whether people with different perspectives actually feel able to contribute, challenge and think differently.
Address only one and the impact is limited.
The communities
IiFE brings member organisations together through three focused communities, each one targeting a different dimension of cognitive diversity.
Gender Equality
The Gender Equality community brings member firms together to share practical approaches, support career development and build stronger leadership at every level across European asset management.
Less than 40% of employees are women in two thirds of asset management organisations. Only 20% hold C-suite and partner roles. Only 20% of firms have more than 40% female representation in investment and sales.
The industry is not accessing the full depth of talent available to it. That is a performance gap.
PwC/DPE, 2024Programme
Rise Across is IiFE's cross-company, cross-country mentorship programme connecting professionals across European asset management.
Running over six months, Rise Across pairs participants across firms and countries for a structured mentoring relationship, creating lasting professional connections and broadening perspectives across the industry.
Enrolment for the current cohort is now closed. Register your interest below to be considered for future programmes.
Inclusive Culture
The Inclusive Culture Community explores how leadership behaviours, organisational practices and workplace systems shape performance and retention across European asset management.
Culture determines whether inclusion and cognitive diversity translate into better outcomes.
When people feel able to contribute, challenge and progress, organisations perform better and retain their best people.
Programme
Culture Builders is IiFE's ERG community, bringing together Employee Resource Group leaders from across member organisations to share best practice, strengthen collective impact and build knowledge that travels across the industry.
Launched in April 2026, Culture Builders is a practical space for shared learning and measurable progress.
The cognitive diversity tools
For members who want to go further, IiFE offers three exclusive tools grounded in Professor Edmans' research and designed specifically for asset management.
A practical off-the-shelf toolkit for embedding cognitive diversity into teams and decision making. Tailored resources for CEOs, investment teams and all employees. Ready to use immediately.
A measurement framework that helps investment teams understand, manage and apply cognitive diversity to improve decision quality and long-term performance. Benchmarks across eight key factors.
Six expert-led, 90-minute sessions for executives, by executives. No jargon. No theory. Practical tools and habits that leaders can use immediately in their next board or ExCo meeting.
These tools are available to IiFE members only. Please use your member username and password to access the tools, or contact us if your organisation needs access.
How communities work
Members exchange experience, challenges and practical approaches.
Research, tools and guidance support informed decision making.
Communities help firms move from theory to practical application.
Members focus on measurable progress across talent, culture and decision making.
Different Thinking. Better Outcomes.
Be part of a European member network working together to strengthen decision making, talent and long-term performance.
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Why it matters
When access to the industry is shaped by background, networks or informal pathways, firms miss out on talent and perspectives that could strengthen decision making and competitive position.
Only 20% of asset management firms collect socioeconomic data. Only 4% have measurable social mobility goals, compared to 66% for gender.
IiFE Social Mobility Research, 2026Social Mobility
Broadening the talent base to strengthen performance.
The Social Mobility Community helps firms attract, develop and progress talent from a wider range of backgrounds, through shared insight, evidence-based resources and practical implementation support.
Research
Social Mobility in Asset Management: An Untapped Opportunity
The Social Mobility Community is the home of IiFE's landmark 2026 research. The most comprehensive study of its kind in European asset management, it sets out the evidence and the practical steps firms can take to act.