Alison Jefferis

Head of Corporate Affairs EMEA & APAC, Columbia Threadneedle Investments

"Columbia Threadneedle was proud to exhibit images from 56 Black Men at our London office during Black History Month, with the portraits inspiring much talk among colleagues.

Alongside the exhibition we welcomed Cephas Williams for a lunchtime presentation and discussion, which was a clear highlight of the month and quite possibly the year. In telling his story Cephas draws on a powerful combination of hard-hitting facts, examples and personal anecdotes delivered with warmth and humour. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, summed up by a member of our black employee network saying, “We didn’t expect to be having this conversation in the corporate world. It feels like the beginning of a real change.”

Alison Jefferis - Head of Corporate Affairs EMEA & APAC, Columbia Threadneedle Investments

16th of October 2019 - Key Note Talk at Columbia Threadneedle, Cannon Street, London