How to make a boatload of money for investors while changing the world – Morgan Stanley’s Seema Hingorani, with Lucinda Guthrie

Seema Hingorani, managing director and member of the Operating Committee at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) talks to Lucinda Guthrie, executive editor at Mergermarket in this episode of Dealcast marking International Women’s Day.

Investing “where nobody’s looking” opens up the prospect of making a “boatload of money”, and when this means allocating to diverse teams allocators are changing the world as they do this, Hingorani argues.

Hingorani reflects on her own storied journey as an asset allocator from hedge fund entrepreneurship, through to her tenure until 2014 as CIO of New York City Retirement Systems, which had assets of USD 160bn to her current role at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

Struck by the lack of female talent within the industry, Hingorani noted the major opportunity cost not only for women who could build outstanding careers but also for investors lacking a range of perspectives for how to put their money to work.

This observation led her to found Girls Who Invest in 2015, an institution that continues to build awareness of career pathways in the investment world and now counts 4,000 alumni across 200 universities.

From talent development to retention and investor returns to public service, this episode is a fascinating insight into a major Wall Street player at the top of her game, who has created a movement that is attracting and training top female talent into the finance industry.