The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Luke Ellis is the Chief Executive Officer of Man Group, and has had a long career in asset management, with a particular focus originally on fixed income and derivatives and later hedge funds. He is vice chair of the Standards Board for Alternative Investments, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Greenhouse Sports, which focuses on developing young people through sport. Our conversation starts with Luke's early embrace of odds through learning to play cards at the age of 3, and his move through the ranks of finance. We discuss his family dinner table discussions growing up, his avid love of sports, and how this has influenced his approach to business.We turn to the question of leadership and the opportunity to increase diversity in the industry, and how this has to be approached in a way that grows the opportunity set instead of creating a zero sum game.

Machel Allen is President and Chief Investment Officer of Metis Global Partners, a firm she founded in November 2013. The firm, based in San Diego, is focused on global equity investment across the size spectrum from micro-cap to large cap. She previously spent time as an equity and research analyst at a range of asset management firms.Our conversation covers the entry level roles that revealed to Machel the opportunity to develop a proprietary investment process, and the fragments of inefficiencies that she loves about the investment world. Her persistence in setting up her own firm and building it in a sometimes tough asset raising environment are testament to her tremendous grit, but as we discuss, Machel has been upsetting apple carts for most of her life.We will hear why she is optimistic about the future for diversity in the investment world, and some of the mentors and influencers that have shaped who she is as an investor.

Greg Williams is a business development manager at Wellington Management Company, a Boston-based asset management firm. Greg is based in their Chicago office. Before pivoting to a career in finance he worked as a professional actor, and after business school spent time as an equity research analyst and has long experience in consultative selling and business development.As an Alum of the Robert Toigo Foundation, Greg has firsthand experience of the impact of the organization on its fellows and now at Wellington he continues to work with Toigo as a corporate partner. Greg is also deeply involved with the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP), another Wellington corporate partner and is a member of Wellington’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee as well as Vice Chair of the Wellington Management Foundation, which supports organizations that are focused on improving educational opportunities for youth from underserved and economically challenged communities. He is also a member of Shades Leadership Team - the Wellington business network focused on employees from Black heritage.Our conversation traces Greg's upbringing in Cleveland Ohio and his unusual trajectory from a job in acting to business school and on to investing. We discuss the impact that the Toigo Foundation had on his career path, and how he is now committed to passing this on to future generations through his advocacy and interest groups.

In Series 4 of The Fiftyfaces Podcast we meet 10 more diverse investment professionals. One learned to play cards at the age of 3, and thus began his love of markets, one used to be a professional actor, one grew up on a hog farm in Iowa, and one low income on the west side of Chicago. We meet the CIO of a large US hospital plan, a real estate specialist at a large US endowment, a female fund founder, a pathbreaking black female venture capitalist, the son of two iconic Latino figures in Southern California, an investor who weaves spirituality into his mission, and a private equity investor who has just left and dedicated his career to changing the profession, creating opportunity and spreading share ownership more widely. Our guests share their experience of being working parents, of the challenges that have rocked them and how they have overcome them, and of how they wish to leave a mark.

Sorina Zahan is managing partner and Chief Investment Officer at Core Capital in Chicago, an asset manager focused on building specialty portfolios in the alternatives area, as well as Founder and CEO of Aiperion, a research development and fintech firm which aims to change the way we think about investment risk. Before entering asset management she previously worked as an engineer and as a professor focused on AI. Sorina has a strong interest in innovation in investment management, in particular around portfolio construction and the allocation of risk. We talk about her career journey from academia into finance, her "hobby" of thinking, and why she believes diversity is so key in a research team. We discuss academic research as a search, about how much is not known, and AI in particular, and whether it will be used for good.

Emanuel Arbib is the Chief Executive Officer of IAM Capital Group in London, an asset manager whose product range includes real estate, hedge fund of funds and green opportunity products. Prior to founding IAM he was a director at a NASDAQ listed company that controlled an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, and prior to that a director of a family office based in Jersey and Monte Carlo. He works extensively across Israel, Italy, the US and the UK. Our conversation looks at what is key when winning and retaining the loyalty of family offices in wealth management and the wisdom what he has gained from working with some great financiers over the years. We also examine the role that internships plays in ensuring diversity of thought and fresh ideas within an organization.

Sorca Kelly-Scholte is Head of Pensions Solutions and Advisory for EMEA at a large asset management firm. She trained as an actuary, and spent time as an investment consultant before assuming her current role. She is a frequent writer on the topic of institutional asset allocation, strategy and portfolio construction. Our conversation covers her undergraduate degree in Mathematics, and how it taught her to think. We return to this when we discuss her current approach to asset allocation, particularly against the backdrop of a crisis, and how she is coaching her pension fund clients by reference to different models of best practice. We spend some time on how she embraced the challenge of speaking in public, and the people and habits that enabled her to build her confidence. We also turn to the question of gender diversity in finance and Sorca shares her experience as well as her vision for how things can be better.

Shawn Evans is an investment officer at a large corporate pension plan in Chicago and prior to that held a series of similar roles in Chicago-based public pension funds. He started his career as an accountant, and is a CPA as well as a CFA. He works as a volunteer leader with Chicago Cares, and has participated in college and high school mentor programs. Our conversation covers how Shawn came into a career in finance, his early days in accounting and his transition onto the investment side. His career was predominantly self-driven, and he didn't participate in any mentorship and sponsorship programs that are sometimes offered. He is keenly aware of the importance of a personal brand, and prefers to focus on long-term sustainable solutions v. short term fixes when it comes to addressing diversity needs in firms.

Roxanne Martino is Managing Partner at OceanM19 family office in Chicago, and has had a long career in asset management. She founded Aurora Investment Management in 1988, a firm which provided hedge fund portfolio solutions to institutional investors for over 28 years. She is Co-Chairperson of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Council, Chairperson of the Boards of the Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Chair of its Executive and Governance Committees and holds a number of investment committee and board roles in educational institutions and charities. She is a published author and a frequent commentator on investment matters in the media and on the conference circuit. Our conversation delves into her very early entry to college and the world of business, her rise through the hedge fund of fund business and the process of starting and growing her own firm, with particular focus on the diversity that she built into it from the ground up.Now in her portfolio career, she holds a number of pivotal and influential roles in educational and health-care institutions that are in the cross-hairs of the current Covid-19 crisis. These are circumstances which test such roles to the limit, and Roxanne's experience has led to her having an exceptionally nuanced approach to how to best leverage her skills in these roles. Roxanne is a founder among founders - and has so many firsts to her name. She is a role model to many, and I hope you enjoy our wide-ranging conversation.

Saker Nusseibeh is Chief Executive Officer of the international business of Federated Hermes. He has previously headed equity teams in a range of asset managers, and is a passionate advocate for responsible investing and the integration of ESG factors into investment processes. He is a frequent contributor to industry dialogue on these topics and received the honour of Commander of the British Empire in January 2020 for services to responsible investing and the financial sector. Our conversation traces Saker's journey from his childhood to his brush with academia through his study of Medieval History which resulted in a PhD. We discuss what this intensive immersion in history taught him about life, and how he continues to apply these lessons in the investment world. We spend some time discussing sustainable investing as well as the challenge of increasing the diversity within the financial sector. It is a conversation that comes full circle to consider the absolute necessity of diversity as a requirement of sustainability, and why there really is no other way.