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Boston, MA — September 13, 2024: LIM’s President and Managing Principal, Barbara McKenna, has been named one of the most Influential Women in Institutional Investing by Pensions & Investments.

Pensions & Investments began recognizing influential women in investing last year and this year’s roster includes 60 women. To be considered, nominees needed to be actively employed in the institutional investing field and have a minimum of seven years of industry experience. Ideal candidates were expected to exhibit a commitment to attracting, retaining, supporting, and promoting women within the industry.

This year’s honorees cited building portfolios to withstand financial turmoil, staying resilient, and confronting tough work environments as keys to their success. They were recognized at a ceremony hosted by Pensions & Investments in Chicago yesterday, September 12.

Barbara sat with Erin Chan Ding for an interview about her career. In the interview, Barbara described an environment that was difficult for women when she first began her finance career in the mid-1980s. She felt fortunate to be hired into a direct finance job when many women had to start in administrative positions and work their way up. Having a supportive husband and a network in the industry that she could lean on for advice and encouragement helped her along the way.

In 2005, Barbara purchased an ownership stake in Longfellow Investment Management Co., LLC, when the firm had $700 million in assets under management and less than 10 employees. Now Longfellow has 56 employees and $19 billion in AUM (as of August 31, 2024). Barbara says the firm has worked hard to build a team that is diverse in gender, ethnicity, age, background, and experience.

“It’s wonderful to build a diverse team because it’s the right thing,” she said. “But it’s also the right thing for our clients because in this industry, groupthink is so pervasive. What we do is hard and making sure that we have those different perspectives to evaluate risk and opportunity is so important. That’s what really drives us, and I think it’s why we have had the results we’ve had.”

You can read more at:

pionline.com/influential-women-institutional-investing/2024

To learn more about LIM, please reach out to us at [email protected].