Inside Wealth Management with Barclays’ Will Hobbs

In this episode, we dive into the archive to take you back to 2022 when Anthony spoke to Will Hobbs, who at the time of recording was the acting Chief Investment Officer of Barclays Wealth Management.

Will talks about his untraditional route into markets, from training in Italy as a chef to landing his first role in finance, working through the dot-com and financial crisis, and then deconstructing his current role as Chief Investment Officer.

There are lots of tips on networking, leveraging personal experiences, and a detailed explanation of how his team oversees the investment philosophy at Barclays UK in Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) and Tactical Asset Allocation (TAA) decisions.

We also touch on how he found his real passion later on in his career which ultimately acted as the springboard to later success and discuss how he deals with the pressure of being responsible for key decisions within the division he operates in.

A must listen to episode for those looking to work in asset or wealth management but also for the wider community if you are looking for an open and genuine insight into working in the world of finance.

(00:00) Introduction

(02:10) From chef to CIO

(04:00) Travel, Turkey, and taking risks

(09:50) Early jobs and finding purpose

(13:57) Networking advice: just ask

(16:19) What a CIO really does

(20:12) Handling pressure and big calls

(25:01) Mental health in finance

(30:16) Bitcoin, blockchain, and investing

(34:53) How to start learning markets

(38:03) Final tips for beginners