The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Do you ever over order? This year, as is the case every year we were bursting at the seams with guests and talent here at Fiftyfaces Productions and were delighted to produce a bonus series featuring 8 inspiring guests at the end of 2024. We hope you can take some time over the break to listen back to some big themes – neurodivergence and the workforce, system change, moonshots and deep dives - all delivered in bite size chunks. From an asset management president who started out in fashion and used that to put the client at the heart to a stewardship expert who pursued his moon shot, each story is unique and fascinating. We hear from the CEO of the NZ Super Fund about the philosophy that guided him towards a total portfolio approach at the 77 Billion NZ fund and an expert on system change on the challenge and opportunity that it presents. We speak with an economist who translates the volatility of markets into a professional context and an investment consultant who defied expectations to forge a stellar career despite losing his site at the age of 7. Returning to the theme of neurodivergence in the workforce we speak with the founder of a new website for neurodivergent individuals and we end with the compelling tale of an allocator who learned how to spot talented investors and is using her position now to fuel their growth.The Bonus series features: Lindsey Stewart, Raudline Etienne, Matt Whineray, Carol Geremia, Steve Foresti, Frank Dixon and Tiffany Wilding as well as special guest Veena Aiyer.  So take some time to listen back to our 58 podcasts of 2024, send us your comments, feedback and ideas for new guests, and if you can, please support us on Patreon.  Thank you to Apollo, Resolute Investment Management, Alvine Capital, PIMCO, GCM Grosvenor, Nuveen, JP Morgan Chase, Ninety One, Eagle Point, Ruffer, With Intelligence, Longview Productions and all of our supporters over the course of 2024

Raudline Etienne is the Founder and CEO of Daraja Capital, an investment and advisory firm providing seed capital to new, diversely owned, private fund managers and independent sponsors. She has over 25 years of experience in institutional investing and consulting and previously served as CIO for the New York State Common Retirement Fund, the third largest public fund in the U.S. Prior to her role as CIO, she spent more than a decade advising institutional investors at various firms and holds a number of trustee and board roles.  We start by discussing her roots in architecture and the structure and scaffolding as well as discipline that it enabled her to bring to her investing career. When discussing managing a team at the New York State Common Retirement Fund she discusses developing green and opportunity portfolios, and how this open door approach enabled them to identify new and original talent. Moving then to her work at Daraja, we trace the discipline of “spotting talent” which was enabled through her time as a consultant and as an allocator.  We also talk about the art of growing an investment management business, the barriers to entry and how to overcome them. This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Longview Productions. At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you!We are now at over 290 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential.Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Frank Dixon is an expert on Systems Change.  He has been interested in sustainability since his MBA, joined one of the first ESG research firms, saw ESG wasn’t enough, and has been working on system change ever since.  Our conversation traces the evolution of Frank’s thinking around the need for system change and what this actually means. He established Global System Change and developed the System Change Investing (SCI) approach. It provided the first model for rating companies on system change performance and integrating system change into corporate sustainability strategies.He also developed a true whole system approach to sustainability, described in the Global System Change books. It provides systemic solutions for all major areas of society. In the financial and corporate sectors, SCI offers the most advanced and effective sustainability strategies.We discuss the rising pushback against responsible investing/corporate sustainability and Frank argues that current approaches were not coming close to resolving SDG problems, even under supportive administrations.   He now is of the opinion that system change will dominate the sustainability field at some point, arguing that as our systems continue to break down and cause growing problems for companies, investors and society, we’ll realize that we must change them to turn things around and avoid catastrophic collapse.  This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Longview Productions. 🎉At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you!🎉We are now at over 290 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.🎉We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.🎉Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential.🎉Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Carol Geremia is president of MFS Investment Management® (MFS®) and head of Global Distribution. She leads the firm's worldwide client-facing teams as well as product and marketing strategy. Since joining MFS in 1984, Carol has held roles focused primarily on fiduciary responsibility, stewardship and sustainability, and she has actively engaged with clients at all levels to ensure that the firm builds products and services aligned with their needs. Carol is a member of the Investment Company Institute's Board of Governors, the City Year Seven Generations Board, the MFS Charitable Oversight Committee and as an Advisory Council member for Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc. Carol’s career journey had an unconventional start in that she initially pursued a career in fashion.  We probe this intriguing fact and consider the similarities between the two worlds of fashion and investing. One aspect that is similar is the existence of trends and fads – and the importance of developing an eye to detect one forming and then of discerning which ones are likely to endure.  When we translate this into the world of investment products it is clear that investing also has cycles, fads and fashions and that “reading the room” or client appetite in this respect is a critical skill.  Carol charts her rise through MFS by referring back to a common touchstone – the importance of putting clients first.  She describes her mentors, and how she learned to overcome anxiety around performance in front of clients and how critical it was that she had found a home in which it was possible for her to be her authentic self.  This is a searing portrait of leadership through compassion and self-awareness.   This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Longview Productions. 🎉At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you!🎉We are now at over 290 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.🎉We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.🎉Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential.🎉Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Steve Foresti is a Senior Advisor, Investments, at Wilshire, where he has spent almost 30 years.  He previously held a role as Chief Investment Officer, among other roles and is currently in a part-time role as he pursues other interests.  Steve was recommended to us as a guest because of his extraordinary career arc in which he overcame a substantial loss of vision as a child to pursue a fulfilling career. We begin by discussing Steve’s career journey and turn then to the nature of the condition that caused his loss of vision from the age of around 7 and his family’s coping strategy at that time.  We hear about his parents’ efforts to ensure he was in the right educational stream and challenged at every opportunity. It was at this stage that it became clear how much setting the bar high and having high expectations mattered.  Taking this theme forward into his career, we hear about the colleague whose small gestures such as giving him a ride to work and allowing him to avoid a long commute made a massive difference to his quality of life, and then discuss the technological advances that have made impaired vision less of a hindrance in the work place. This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Longview Productions.  🎉At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you! 🎉We are now at over 290 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes. 🎉We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn. 🎉Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential. 🎉Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Matt Whineray recently retired from the role of Chief Executive Officer at the NZ$77 bn NZ Super Fund, where he had spent close to 16 years in a series of roles, culminating in CEO but which included 4 years as CIO. He previously worked in a series of corporate finance roles, and currently holds a number of Chair and Board roles. Our conversation starts with his early career in finance, which saw him move from New Zealand to New York and Hong Kong.  We discuss the moment he knew that he wanted to take his family back to New Zealand and its natural bounty and how he acted upon that.  Moving then to his role at the NZ Super Fund we discuss the nature of the entity, its governance and overarching objective.   As one of the instigators of a total fund portfolio approach, we dig in in some detail as to what that means and how it evolved. There are various other unique characteristics of NZ Super too and Matt discusses its commitments around sustainable investing and what return and volatility it could tolerate. We end with Matt’s current chapter, a retirement that includes a portfolio of board roles including Netball New Zealand as well as a good deal of travel. This is a fascinating insight into a unique institution that punches well above its weight in investment innovation. At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you!We are now at 284 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential.Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Tiffany Wilding is a managing director and economist based in the Newport Beach office of PIMCO.  She leads PIMCO’s Cyclical Forum, crafts the firm’s outlook for the global economy, and analyzes key macro risks for the firm’s Investment Committee. Previously, she was a U.S. interest rate strategist in two firms and a Treasury market policy analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where she helped structure and implement the central bank’s response to the 2008 financial crisis.Our discussion starts with Tiffany’s path through finance and spends quite a bit of time discussing her learnings from her time at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York during the financial crisis. We speak about the toolbox available to an institution like this during a crisis and how calm heads must prevail.  Moving then to her role at PIMCO we discuss client needs and how they are evolving as well as the work of the secular forum and what is on their mind against the current backdrop. At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you!We are now at 284 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential.Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Veena Aiyer has launched a community app for neurodiverse audiences called QRKIEZ.  The goal of QRKIEZ is to be an innovative platform designed to support neurodivergent individuals by fostering social connections, providing mentorship and offering tailored professional services. She previously worked in a series of startups  and tech companies. In our conversation Veena describes her upbringing in India and the path that took her to the US.  She describes her own discovery of neurodivergence and what prompted her to seek to create a means for other neurodivergent individuals to connect and exchange ideas.  We discuss what is missing in the job market and social media universe for this cohort and how simple features of an app can make such a difference. The app aims to connect neurodivergent individuals who share similar interests and passions and has a mission to facilitate the formation of friendships, mentorships, and support services for the neurodivergent, and gain access to service providers, job postings, and other information of interest, help, and fun. Parent and family support are offered as well, and all allies are welcome. There is more information about QRKIEZ on https://www.qrkiez.com/, where you can also sign up in advance for the soon-to-be launched App.🎉At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you! 🎉We are now at 284 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.🎉We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.🎉Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential. 🎉Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Lindsey Stewart is Director of Stewardship Research and Policy at Morningstar Sustainanalytics, where he is a sustainability and governance specialist. Based in London he writes regularly about how institutional investors engage with companies and policymakers on environmental, social and governance themes and is a regular speaker on these topics. He previously was head of Stakeholder Engagement at the Financial Reporting Council and spent 8 years at KPMG in various engagement roles. Our conversation starts with Lindsey’s unconventional background where he approached finance straight from school instead of via a traditional college degree.  He describes it as a “moon shot” and details his journey into a governance specialists role, and some of the disorientation he experienced once he “landed” on the moon. This leads to a discussion around socio-economic mobility and the profession more generally and we look at the scaffolding that can enable such moves. We turn then to a discussion of the current state of sustainability data, where the world of engagement has moved to and challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the area of sustainable investing.

Julie Koeninger is Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager in Agriculture at Manulife Investment Management, where she leads business development for Manulife Investment Management global agriculture strategy.  She has over 30 years of experience in agriculture investing, having worked in a series of roles at other institutions prior to joining Manulife and led the first ever securitization of US Agricultural mortgages.   Our conversation traces Julie’s career at the intersection of infrastructure and finance and the evolution of those industries in terms of product creation and understanding of the asset class. We examine some of the lateral moves that Julie made throughout her career and how they contributed to her growth as a professional.  We spend some time on the innovations in products centered around agriculture and look at how investors are treating agriculture within the context of their overall portfolio.  This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Mike Tiedemann was a Founding Partner, CEO and Chairman of the Internal Investment Committee at Tiedemann Advisors, as well as CEO at Tiedemann Investment Group (TIG), before leading the merger that created AlTi. Early in his career, Mike lived and worked in Brazil as part of the equity research group at Banco Garantia and later ran the equity sales and trading operations for Latin America.Mike serves on the board of multiple organizations and has been recognized multiple times for his contributions to charitable causes. He founded and chairs The River Fund, a nonprofit that provides food, education and support services to help families in New York City break the cycle of poverty.Our conversation starts with Mike’s experience in emerging markets and how that set the tone for the rest of his career – leading to a comfort level with uncertainty and a tolerance for volatility. We move then to discuss his founder role in a financial firm, and how he experienced a merger of that firm and the dynamics that went with it. Finally we end our discussion with a deep dive into the issues that are close to Michaels’ heart and why.  This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Sarah Fromson, who is Chair of the Cambridge University Endowment Fund Investment Advisory Board.  She also holds a number of other Non Executive Board roles, including at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Quilter Investors, Capital Generation Partners among others. She spent 11 years as head of Investment Risk at the Wellcome Trust and prior to that was a Chief Investment Risk Officer at RBS Asset Management.  Our conversation starts with Sarah’s ascent through the City in various investment and risk roles and discuss the evolution of the risk management function. We discuss how norms and corporate culture changed during this time, and how risk was handled at Wellcome Trust. We move then to discuss her portfolio career and what it takes to be an effective board member and chair.    This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Rob Gardner is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rebalance Earth, which redirects the flow of capital to protect and restore nature at scale, He was a guest on this podcast in 2021, and that show is available here.  He has recently written a book with the title FR££DOM, which advocates three money moves to transform your finances. EARN IT, KEEP IT, GROW IT. This is just one part of his career-long mission to further financial literacy, education and investing for a world worth living in.  This podcast is mainly focused on the book FR££DOM, which is designed as a toolkit for young people to enjoy financial freedom.  We talk about the different attitudes to money and different needs as well as the shifting priorities of generations – e.g. the current young generation seeking to own less and experience more.  On the topic of saving, we discuss how most people are not wired to save and the rise of credit – such as Buy Now Pay Later Schemes. We move then to discuss previous economic crises/property market crashes and what they teach us in terms of fiscal discipline and then discuss the two chapters in the book dedicated to digital assets and crypto currencies. This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

"An investment in education gives the best returns” Benjamin FranklinTony Miller is managing director of Excolere Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on the education space.  He holds a number of board roles including Apollo Education group, ACT, Criteria Corp and Go Guardian.  He was co-founder of the Vistria Group, a Chicago based private equity firm and prior to that was Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer in the US Department of Education.  Our conversation traces his extensive career in education, including roles at McKinsey, Silver Lake, Vistria and the US Department of Education. He emphasizes the importance of deploying private capital in education to achieve significant impact at scale and highlights the need for innovative solutions that can be scaled across various educational sectors.  We turn then to the potential role of AI in transforming education, and how to align financial returns with educational outcomes. Miller underscores the significance of diversity and inclusion in education and shares personal reflections on career highs and lows. This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Ilya Zaides is CIO and Founder of 14B. He started his career as a lawyer, eventually transitioning to an allocator role within two leading hedge fund allocators. He then made a switch into fund management, founding 14B 15 years ago.Our conversation starts with Ilya’s childhood and the impact of his parent’s immigrant’s journey – in which they   traveled from the former Soviet Union. We examine the impact that this has on work ethic, subject choice, and some of the philosophical underpinnings that he inherited from his parents.We speak about his own journey from law, what it was that he didn’t enjoy about this area of study, and how he transitioned into the world of investment. We turn then to his current focus at 14B and the challenge of navigating the current turmoil in markets. This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity acrossalternative investments. With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Jeanie Coomber is the founder of the Warriors at Work platform, and an executive coach.  Our discussion charts her journey from a corporate career at Alliance Bernstein to becoming a coach. We talk about the personality type necessary to be a coach, and Jeanie Coomber highlighted her unique approach to coaching, integrating her mother's psychotherapy expertise. There is more information on the Warriors at Work platform here: https://jeaniecoomber.com/warriors-at-work-show/In discussing what she is tackling in her coaching conversations today, we also discussed the evolving needs of executives, such as navigating politics and fostering human-oriented conversations. Jeanie emphasized the importance of courageous conversations and self-reflection. She shared challenges that have been faced, including starting her business post-maternity leave and managing her family medical issues.  This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Shan Chen was until recently a portfolio manager focused on mostly private investments at the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, where he spent over 17 years. He previously worked primarily within information technology and did research work in biochemistry. He has recently retired from the PSPRS and is focusing full time on developing AI solutions for investment management.  Our conversation traces his route into the investment world from his science background and his years of learning under the leadership of Mark Steed, CIO at the PSPRS, whose podcast we captured in July 2021.  We move then to the innovation in place at the PSPRS investment process including the development of more refined and reliable predictions and the embrace of machine learning. We examine the potential for this in the asset allocation function  as well as how AI can assist allocators with getting through the sheer mass of information and documents that they face.  This is a self-aware retrospective by a member of the most forward thinking investment offices in the US public fund arena. This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Wendy Li is the co-founder and CIO of Ivy Invest, a FinTech asset management firm.  She previously worked in the investment office of the endowment of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. In our discussion we start with her immigrant background in Pennsylvania, and her ascent through studying finance to a role in an allocator. Our discussion then turns to the founder's journey - the challenge and opportunity that FinTech and WealthTech present, and why the human element is unlikely to be replaced fully.  Wendy emphasized the value of mentorship and the significance of giving back to the community through nonprofits like EWAAB and Flight Path Dance Project. Wendy has a newsletter, which can be accessed here: askacio.ivyinvest.coThis podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Jennifer Ryan is Head of North American Distribution at Lazard Asset Management.  She previously was Head of UK Institutional Sales at BlackRock and Head of the US Institutional Pensions at Blackrock, and started her career at Goldman Sachs.In our conversation we tackle the craft of fund distribution, and Jennifer highlights the importance of understanding client ecosystems, building trust, and adapting to evolving client needs. She stresses the significance of team-based approaches and mentorship in her success. Moving to the changing shape of the institutional landscape Jennifer notes the impact of market changes, such as the shift to private markets and the generational shift in CIOs, on client needs. We talk about the importance of honesty and transparency in client relationships and return to the oft-repeated themes of risk-taking and investing in networks.GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments. With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenorleverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

It has been a highly charged summer.  Between the big year of elections, a series of political and geopolitical surprises and a few market shocks, it has been anything but the silly season.  We have launched a few episodes of Fiftyfaces TV focused on investor identity and responsible investing and we have continued covering the issue of maternal mortality, women in sports and other matters close to our hearts.   Now we are back to our main series and we are delighted to bring you another 10 inspiring guests who share their insights on careers, markets, overlooked opportunities and advice for fulfillment.  Tune in as we cycle through investment opportunities in Fintech considering the implication of AI as an advisor as well as how it can help allocators to wade through and organize the vast document load that comprises due diligence these days. We turn to the challenge of front-line client interactions and the changing shape of client need as markets and investment products evolve, get "in deep" when it comes to what really happens after a Merger, and expose the shocking gaps in financial literacy that are jeopardizing retirements and pension pots everywhere. We dig some more - into soil science and regenerative agriculture, and where such products fit within a portfolio, then chat with an executive coach about her trending topics and how "breakdowns lead to breakthroughs". A veteran of risk management and non-executive roles shares her journey from "the age of the dinosaurs" in the City of London today's different challenges, a fund manager recalls his father's refrain to "take things back to formula" and an education investor stresses the importance of scale. The guests on Series 5 are:Jennifer Ryan, an institutional distribution expertWendy Li, fintech founder and former institutional allocatorShan Chen, an expert on AI and investingRob Gardner, a sustainable investor, founder and leading financial literacy advocateMike Tiedemann, investor and founderTony Miller, venture capitalist, fund manager and former public servant with expertise in investing in educationJulie Koeninger, fund manager and expert in the field of agricultureSarah Fromson, investment committee member, NED and former risk managerIlya Zaides, fund managerJeanie Coombes, executive coach, podcast host and Chief Igniter Tune in from next week..  You can find all of our podcasts on The Fiftyfaces Hub, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.