Charlotte Roden
Markets first. Human performance second.
I spent more than 30 years working in financial markets before moving into coaching and leadership development. That background shapes everything about how I work.
Background
- 30+ years in financial markets — sell side and buy side
- A decade working within a hedge fund alongside portfolio managers
- Trained in coaching, psychology, neuroscience and behavioural science
- Works with individuals, teams and organisations across the investment industry
My career has taken me across both the sell side and buy side, including a decade working within a hedge fund and alongside portfolio managers — experiencing first-hand the realities of investment performance: uncertainty, risk, relentless information, difficult periods, demanding stakeholders and the continual requirement to make decisions without knowing the outcome.
Over time I became increasingly interested in the human side of that experience. Why do talented people underperform? Why do good decisions get made badly? Why do strong teams become dysfunctional? The answers, I found, were rarely technical.
I trained in coaching, psychology, neuroscience and behavioural science — and began working with investment professionals, leaders and teams who wanted to understand and improve the human factors influencing their performance.
My background means we can get quickly to the issues that matter, without having to start by explaining the realities of the investment environment. I understand the culture, the pressure and the language — and I bring that understanding to every engagement.
"The aim is not a prescribed version of high performance. It is to help individuals and organisations become more effective at what they do."
A different perspective on performance
Performance leaves patterns.
Investment data can tell us a great deal about what is happening. The more interesting question is often why.
Why does a PM consistently enter too early but hesitate to scale? Why does decision-making change after a drawdown? Why does an analyst communicate differently when challenged? Why does a successful leader become overly involved as pressure increases?
The same applies to teams and organisations. Bottlenecks, poor challenge, unclear accountability or repeated conflict are rarely isolated events.
My work helps clients recognise the patterns behind performance, understand what may be driving them and decide what to change — whether that sits with the individual, the process, the relationships around them or the wider system.
Working together
What it's like to work with me.
I'm curious about people and fascinated by what drives performance. I've spent a lot of time learning about the psychology, neuroscience and behavioural science behind it — so my clients don't have to.
I bring that knowledge to the conversation, but also energy, humour and a healthy dose of directness.
There are times to listen, be patient and give someone space to think. And there are times to challenge an assumption, ask the uncomfortable question or point out the thing everyone appears to be carefully avoiding.
I'm happy doing both.
My aim isn't to tell people how they should think, lead or invest. It's to help them understand themselves and their situation more clearly, see choices they may not have seen before, and work out what will actually make a difference.
Get in touch.
If you'd like to explore working together, I'd welcome a conversation.