Shortly after turning 30, Nadia Manzoor made world history. Manzoor was appointed to the board of J.P. Morgan American Investment Trust—making her the youngest-ever woman in the world to sit on the board of company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Her CV reads like an academic fairy tale—a Cambridge-educated lawyer, who garnered one of the top-10 firsts during her first year of law school, she began her career at Slaughter and May, a leading firm in London. There’s something a little Elle Woods about her—that huge symmetrical smile, the bouncy blow-out and those perfectly cut low-slung jeans—designer from the top down. She even once harbored an ambition to act and has a few extra credits to her name.
She left law in her 20s and after 18 short months became a partner at the boutique investment management firm S.W. Mitchell Capital, where she still works. Herein, your correspondent caught up with Manzoor for a round of quick-fire questions about her career nonpareil.
1. How many cups of coffee do you drink a day?
None! I've never actually drunk a cup of coffee in my life.
2. How many company boards do you sit on?
One. I've been approached about sitting on more, which I would love to do at some stage. But I want to be the best I can at what I do, and so at the moment I just don't have the time.
3. How many flights have you taken this year?
Too many! There are only a handful of weeks this year where I haven't taken at least one flight - I had one week where I did nine flights! But it isn't all for work...
4. How many times have you been fired from a job?
Never.
5. How many mentors do you have?
There are a lot of amazing people I look up to. But the most important are my parents. They've achieved so much and are an inspiration to me every day.
6. How many meetings do you take a week?
As many as I can. I spent a month in New York earlier this year, and I had 70 meetings during that time, which was probably too many.
7. How many pairs of heels do you own?
Haha…Lots. And yet somehow I still end up wearing trainers all the time!
8. How much has your firm grown since you took over the business development team three years ago?
By 20 percent, which has been wonderful. But it's very much a team effort. I'm incredibly lucky to work with some very smart and ambitious people.
9. What time do you leave work?
When I’m travelling I pretty much work all hours, and when I’m in London I pretty much always leave the office at 5.30pm. But, I don’t think it’s about the hours you work. Stanford actually published some research a few years ago that showed that (above a certain threshold) there was negative correlation between hours worked and productivity. Even if that wasn't the case, I wouldn’t work 24/7. Life isn't just about having a career.
10. How many nights a week do you go out ?
Usually four out of five. But I’m not sure I interpret ‘going out’ the way most people do - last Friday night I went to a lecture on the physics of black holes all by myself. I love going for dinner with friends and my family. I do yoga and tennis - I’m terrible at both, but they make me so happy.
11. What is the percentage of females working with you in your fund?
Over 40 percent, which I'm really proud of. It's an accolade to Stuart, our founder. Sadly it's disproportionately high for asset management. We desperately need to get more women into the industry. I'm a big supporter of the work that the Diversity Project is doing to make the investment profession more inclusive. I'm especially passionate about finding ways to get more people from disadvantaged backgrounds into the industry.
12. How many books are you currently reading?
Sadly only one - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind [by Yuval Noah Harari]. And I've been reading it for about three months, but am still only halfway through! I met somebody a few months ago who said, "why would you ever read fiction when we have so many amazing true stories from history", which really resonated with me, so I'm trying to read more non-fiction, but it's definitely slower!
13. How many hours a night do you sleep?
Between 8 and 10. I really enjoy being fresh and ready for the day... but also, one of my great pleasures in life is that feeling of being all snuggled up in a duvet! I set my alarm for half an hour before I have to leave the house for work, which is always split with a 20-minute lie-in and 10 minutes to get ready!
14. How many more years are you going to stay in Finance?
Ha, great question. Probably for a long time; I never imagined I would end up at a fund, or even as a lawyer for that matter. I'd always wanted to be a doctor or an actress - quite different, I know, but I’m a science geek that went to performing arts school! Ultimately I’d like to do something that really makes a difference... probably some sort of social enterprise. Although I often wonder whether making a lot of money and making meaningful donations makes the greatest difference? Despite having not planned to be here, I absolutely love what I do. And I wake up excited every day.
