ACT Signatory Journey: transparency is the foundation for stronger client relationships and long-term outcomes

Invesco UK’s Sachin Bhatia, head of UK institutional & EMEA consultant relations, discusses fostering a collaborative investment culture in Henley and beyond

Why did you decide to become a partner to the ACT Framework?

Invesco UK has been a supporter of the ACT Framework because we would like to see more asset managers embrace greater openness around how their organisations operate, not just how their portfolios perform. Clients increasingly want evidence of culture, governance, accountability and stewardship in practice, alongside investment results. Standardised disclosure frameworks such as ACT help create a common language for these discussions, enabling more meaningful comparisons and more informed due diligence. As an industry, we can strengthen trust by being clearer about our commitments, candid about areas for improvement, and more consistent in reporting progress over time. Transparency should not be viewed as a compliance exercise but as a foundation for stronger client partnerships and better long-term outcome.

Invesco in the UK has been focused on its culture for a long time, particularly as it needed to attract talent to Henley (outside of London). What did this look like in action?

Invesco’s UK culture work has focused on creating an environment where people can build long-term careers, contribute meaningfully, and feel connected to the business. In Henley, that has shown up through a collaborative investment culture where teams work closely together, share research, debate ideas, and challenge assumptions through regular forums and day-to-day interaction. More broadly, our approach includes investing in talent development, mentoring, leadership development, succession planning, flexible working, employee listening, and inclusive practices that support employees personally and professionally.

City Hive is working with Invesco UK on expanding ACT into the institutional market. Why is this important from an industry perspective? 

Invesco UK has been supportive of ACT since its inception because it has helped elevate the conversation around culture, accountability and transparency across the investment industry. Culture can often be difficult to assess and discuss in a consistent way, and ACT provides a useful framework that encourages firms to articulate how their values, governance and behaviours support client outcomes. By creating a common language and promoting greater transparency, City Hive's ACT initiative is helping to build trust, improve industry standards and encourage meaningful dialogue between asset managers and their stakeholders.

See also: City Hive strengthens ACT governance with new Stewardship Council 

How do Invesco UK teams demonstrate challenge and accountability?

We’re committed to creating an environment where productive discourse is encouraged, diverse perspectives are valued, and people hold each other accountable for both what they do and how they do it. Our Leadership Expectations establish a shared set of behaviours that promote constructive challenge, open communication, collaboration, direct feedback, and high performance, creating a common language for how we work together across the firm.

We reinforce these expectations through our performance management approach, which evaluates both business outcomes and the leadership behaviors demonstrated in achieving them. We also provide learning and development opportunities that build employees’ skills and confidence in giving and receiving feedback, navigating difficult conversations, and holding themselves and others accountable. By aligning leadership expectations, performance management, and development experiences, we foster a culture where employees are empowered to speak up, challenge ideas respectfully, and take ownership for delivering strong outcomes.

What would you like to see more asset managers doing to improve the industry's transparency and trust among clients?

We would encourage more asset managers to share greater insight into the culture, governance and values that sit behind their investment processes. While investment performance will always be important, clients increasingly want to understand how firms make decisions, develop their people and hold themselves accountable over time. A strong and inclusive culture can contribute to higher levels of employee engagement and retention, more effective collaboration and, ultimately, better client outcomes. Frameworks such as ACT help facilitate these conversations in a consistent and constructive way, enabling firms to demonstrate progress, share best practice and build trust through greater transparency.

Read more: ACT Signatory Journey: We have long believed culture is a material driver of long-term outcomes