Episode 216: Paula Horn of Brookfield Asset Management: Credit and Problem Solving

Paula Horn is Chief Investment Officer of the public securities group of Brookfield Asset Management. She has had an extensive career in investing, which has spanned investment grade credit, credit derivatives and other public investing. She holds a number of investment committee and Trustee roles. Our conversation starts with her upbringing in an Italian American family in the suburbs of Boston, where she was the first member of her family to graduate with a four year undergraduate degree, during which she spent time studying in Russia. Graduating into a recessionary environment led her to a consulting career, which took her to Bermuda and ultimately - via a circuitous route - to investing, and credit in particular. As she moved through various kinds of entities, including some start-ups and witnessed some mergers she became adaptive, flexible, and ultimately resilient to set-backs and the need to pivot to where opportunity lies. We translate these skills now into her role at the helm (CIO) of the public securities group at Brookfield and examine the kinds of products now on the horizon, how client demand is evolving and how the sector is likely to look in years to come, including its likelihood of further adaptation to meet the sustainability agenda. Series 5 of 2023 is sponsored by With Intelligence, which connects investors and managers to the right people and data to raise and allocate assets effectively. The music in this podcast series - provided by Julia Kwamya - is available on her album on Spotify: Feel Good about Feeling Bad https://open.spotify.com/album/7lTQWSHeaVo3xHuF9q8ilv?si=uvGJZX7FQ9-2wX-0e951ZA&nd=1