SEEMA DALA
Joint Head of Institutional Client Services Services
She described this as very rare in corporate. “It’s only after you work in a different place that you see what we have here and that’s why we try hard to work towards ensuring that we don’t lose it. Once you realise that this is the place you want to be in it’s amazing how people will provide, people care about your career enoughto help you find a space that you will want to be in. If you ask for things, opportunities present themselves, it’s a great culture and not many places work this way.”
When discussing her move from the Investment team to the Institutional Client Services team, she explained that everybody’s career path is different and that there is no magic formula on how these things work. One of the contributing factors to her progression within the business was a combination of speaking to the right people as well as having had a great manager who in tune with her developmental needs. The investment team and the Client Services team have always had a relationship. Her manager was able to see that the Client Services team could be a good skill set space for her and that she should try it out.
“No matter what you do in life, don’t pretend to be someone that you are not, and in any job you are given, do it to the outmost best of your ability and to the highest quality that you can offer. Even the smallest tasks, do it to a good standard and bring in your own personality; those small steps do not go unnoticed. It builds discipline in the way you do things. Allan Gray is a people’s business.
Before joining Allan Gray, Seema worked at the Cape Town office of PWC where she completed her articles. During her time with PWC, she took part in two secondments; one in San Francisco and another in London. Working abroad made her realise that the world is a big place and that there is a lot to learn. Coming back was also a great idea, not being in the country made her realise how much she had in Cape Town and South Africa.
In 2007 Seema joined Allan Gray’s investment team as an Investment analyst. She worked in the investment team for two years before moving on to the Institutional Client Service team in 2009. In her new team, she took up the role of client servicing for our Orbis clients, i.e. any of our clients in Southern Africa that invest via Orbis. She is now in the process of handing over this role and together with Grant Pitt, Seema will now head up Institutional Client Services.
“This business offers a lot of great opportunities. Where you start definitely does not determine where you might find your passion and where you might like to be positioned within the business.”
Seema sees Allan Gray as ‘hands down’ the best organisation she has seen in terms of the culture and ethos. “People definitely care about people; from the client servicing to how people work with each other.”