OREANDA-NEWS. May 30, 2016. Two BNY Mellon leaders have made the Top 100 inaugural ‘UPstanding Executive Power List,’ published today in The Financial Times. The list is a ground-breaking reflection and celebration of the incredible work that is being carried out by the Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) business community in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in the United States.

London-based Hani Kablawi, Executive Vice President and head of EMEA Asset Servicing, came in at number 18. Hani does not view diversity and inclusion initiatives merely as business prerogatives but rather as fundamental human rights, which emanates from his own personal narrative.

Born in Liberia to Palestinian refugees, and raised in Lebanon, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates before migrating to the United States, Hani experienced first-hand the importance of fostering an ethic of responsibility for making the world more just and sustainable and society more inclusive. As a senior leader who routinely challenges the status quo, BNY Mellon’s BAME community in EMEA have all benefited from the new mind-set that Hani has fostered.

Born in Chennai, New York-based Samir Pandiri, Executive Vice President and Global CEO of BNY Mellon’s Asset Servicing business, which encompasses around one third of BNY Mellon’s global employees, came in at number 35. Samir invests a significant amount of time into championing diversity and inclusion in both business and education.

Through his IMPACT leadership role (BNY Mellon’s business resource group with a specific emphasis on the recruitment, retention, professional development and advancement of multicultural employees) position on the company’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Council and C-suite platform, Samir continues to be an influential advocate for the business imperative of diversity.

We are incredibly proud to see both Samir and Hani’s achievements. Congratulations to them both.

To learn more about BNY Mellon’s Diversity and Inclusion focus, please click here.