As assistant general counsel for Principal Asset Management, Shika Soni works at a business that manages over $500bn in assets. Her legal role sees her responsible for the company’s entire EMEA operations with her breadth including implementing USA initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Passionate about access to law and diversity in leadership, she flies the flag for women of South Asian descent in asset management.
Having worked as a corporate solicitor in both London and New York, she spent a number of years at Mishcon de Reya, and in-house at Royal London, giving her a deep knowledge of corporate and asset management.
Driving the firm’s strategy for both ESG and diversity and inclusion, Soni shares her knowledge through numerous panels and external interviews and plays her part in making access to law more equal. She has pioneered opportunities for both women in leadership and encourages diversity and accountability both internally and externally. From setting up a series of talks on being more carbon neutral as part of her ESG drive, to shaping how big asset managers can encourage diversity and inclusion from the law firms they hire, Soni is keen to build an in-house team that is fit for the future.