LSE Focal Point Podcast

Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Peter Spofforth, the Head of the European Team at Qatalyst Partners. Prior to his current role, he worked at Lloyds Banking Group in the Equity Capital Markets Division and began his career as a summer analyst during the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Peter holds a BSc in Mathematics from Warwick University and has advised on some of the most prominent tech deals in recent years, including the sales of Tink to Visa, Genesys to Permira, and Wolt to DoorDash.Recorded in March, 2025

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Margaret Franklin, the President and CEO of the CFA Institute. Prior to her current role, she was President of BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Canada and held senior positions at Merit Private Wealth and Barclays Global Investors. Margaret holds a BA in Economics from McMaster University and earned her CFA charter in 1997.Recorded in March, 2025

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Steffen Pauls, the Founder and Co-CEO of Moonfare. Prior to his current role, he served as Managing Director and Head of Germany at KKR and co-founded the financial advisory firm firstfive AG. Steffen holds a PhD from the University of Trier and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mannheim, and has also served on multiple advisory and supervisory boards across the finance and corporate sectors.Recorded in March, 2025

Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Anthony Villis, the co-founder and managing director of First Wealth. Prior to his current role, he was the founder of Open Advice and the co-founder of Thrive Money. Anthony holds a Economics degree from the University of Bath and is the recipient of the title of the UK’s Favourite Independent Financial Advisor by VouchedFor. Recorded in February, 2025

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Piyush Gupta, the CEO of DBS Group, Southeast Asia’s largest bank by assets. Prior to his current role, he had a distinguished 27-year career at Citigroup, holding various leadership positions.Piyush has been at the helm of DBS since 2009, steering the bank to global recognition as the world's best bank by numerous publications. As he prepares for his upcoming retirement in March 2025.Recorded in December, 2024

Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ted Low, the Head of Portfolio and Collateral Management at Clifford Capital Group, a Singapore-based infrastructure credit platform specialising in global infrastructure debt origination, distribution, and investment. Prior to his current role, Ted was a Senior Associate at Challenger MBK Fund Management and a Business Analyst in Macquarie Group’s infrastructure fund team. Ted holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from LSE.Recorded in February, 2025

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Sean Lee, the Co-founder and Group CEO of Marco Polo Marine, a Singapore-listed leading integrated marine logistics group. Prior to his current role, Sean has led Marco Polo Marine for almost two decades, driving its key focuses on ship chartering, shipyard services, marine transportation, and offshore wind energy.Sean holds MBAs from both INSEAD and Tsinghua University.Recorded in January, 2025

Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Audra Low, the CEO of Clifford Capital Private Limited. Prior to her current role, she was the Head of Origination and Structuring at Clifford Capital and a Director of Project Finance at HSBC. Audra holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a degree from Nanyang Technological University.Recorded in February, 2025

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point with Sonny Kalsi, Co-CEO of Bento Green Oak (BGO), a global leader in real estate investment management with $85B AUM. Previously, he was Global Co-Head of Real Estate Investing at Morgan Stanley and co-founded Green Oak Real Estate, growing it to $12B AUM before its 2019 merger with Benton Kennedy.A Georgetown University graduate, Sonny is actively involved in academic initiatives and serves on the boards of Georgetown, Teaching Matters, Room to Read, Asia Society, and the Hirshhorn Museum.Recorded in February, 2025

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Dagfinn Lunde, a veteran in shipping finance with over four decades of experience. Dagfinn was previously the Head of DNB New York from 1990 to 1995, the Head of Intertanko, and a board member at DVB Bank, where he oversaw the shipping and offshore division from 2000 until the end of 2013. He is also the founder of eShipFinance, an online shipping financing platform.Recorded in December, 2024