Jenna Barnard
Portfolio Manager, Henderson Global Investors

- What does your job entail?
My job entails lending money to different companies, countries and governments. In exchange for lending money they give me a stream of interest, and I pay that interest income out to my investors.
- What gives you confidence?
Being around people who encourage you and are respectful of you gives you confidence. If people aren’t putting you down and you’re in a healthy environment you’re going to have confidence. That’s a natural state. To not have confidence means there’s something wrong in the environment you’re in. I think my confidence comes from being in a healthy environment with people I enjoy working with.
- Was there a turning point in your journey?
When I was younger, I was at a school that really didn’t suit me and I wasn’t flourishing. My behaviour began to deteriorate. So, at 14, I actually made the decision to leave my friendship group and move to a different school. I think for me that was the point where I started to achieve my potential. It was a huge risk because it wasn’t just the institution I was leaving but also the people I had grown up with, but it was a risk that worked brilliantly for me and after moving to an alternative school I flourished.
- What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
My role models are my mother and my grandmother, for work ethic and positivity. They are the two people that I looked up to as I grew up. The best advice I was ever given was from my gran, who told me not to not do something because you’re scared of it – don’t let fear hold you back. There are lots of reasons to not do something but fear isn’t one of them.