IPM Kanan Barot
Kanan has been a member of the WCoMC since 2012, joining the Court in 2015, and progressing through to Master in 2023, after serving three years as third to first Warden. She has been Chair of the Membership Committee for the past five years, helping to ensure the Company continues to engage with and attract members to deliver Change Through Wisdom.
Kanan started as a graduate trainee at Barclays Bank and some years in, answering a call for a French-speaker to help out on a project in Paris, found her metier. Being naturally bossy and organising, with a keen eye for detail, project management was a natural fit. Thus began a long career in the City, managing large change programmes for international financial services organisations, including LIFFE, the NYSE, the InterContinental Exchange, and the London Clearing House, as well as a software solutions vendor, asset and investments managers, and various banks, working as a freelance consultant since 2004. Along the way, an affinity for numbers and a fondness for tax regulation lead to a qualification as a Corporate Treasurer, which she put to good use working as deputy Treasurer at Richemont, the holding group for luxury goods companies such as Cartier and Mont Blanc – yes there IS a handbag in the closet and a pen set in the drawer!
Answering another request to join a team got Kanan involved in her second career in academia, starting as a Visiting Lecturer in business and consulting skills at City University’s Business School, progressing to Module Leader and expanding her teaching to include employability skills, looking to prepare students for their future careers. Wanting always to be fully qualified in whatever she does, Kanan also completed a Master's degree in Academic Practice and, still retaining that liking for organising things around her, applied for and was appointed to a role with the senior leadership team for City University as AVP for Civic Engagement.
Kanan has a keen interest in all things ‘society’, supporting charities and local community groups, and will focus during her year on social inclusion initiatives, as she believes passionately in creating opportunities and opening doors for people to be able to add value as yet untapped. In her free time, Kanan enjoys reading, yoga and being a member of the Southside Theatre Company, for which she has been Treasurer, directed shows, and acted in a range of roles, including in Calendar Girls but that’s for a post-dinner conversation!