Episode 265: Kristina Blaschek of William Blair: The fusion of Investments and Technology

Kristina Blaschek, is Director of Business and Technology within the Investment Management division of William Blair, based in Chicago. She started her career in investment banking, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Auditorium Theatre.  

Kristina starts our conversation describing her education and what drew her to the world of finance. We hear about her early career pivots and how she was handpicked to lead the Business and Technology function and how she grew in to this new role. We share a vignette about the leadership at William Blair – in particular Stephanie Braming – who featured in an earlier podcast in this series in March 2022 - see https://www.fiftyfaceshub.com/129-stephanie-braming-of-william-blair-on-critical-thinking-and-transforming-recruitment/ and the power of engaged and generous leadership and what a gift this can be. 

We turn then to discussing the challenges of technology today – touching on AI and how this will transform our industry as well as the priorities on her mind in this role.  We end with a reflection on D&I, as well as on the values that have driven Kristina to always be learning and growing throughout her career.  

This episode is supported by PIMCO, a global leader in active fixed income with deep expertise across public and private markets. PIMCO invests their clients’ capital in income and credit opportunities that span the liquidity spectrum, leveraging their decades of experience navigating complex debt markets. Their flexible capital base and deep relationships with issuers have helped them become one of the world’s largest providers of traditional and alternative investment solutions and a valued financing partner. Visit pimco.com to learn more.

PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. Individual investors should contact their own financial professional to determine the most appropriate investment options for their financial situation. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America LLC in the United States and throughout the world.