TSG Time with Pat and Doug

In Episode 14, Pat and Doug interview Chris Lourens of Solve Consulting. Chris has a 30-year tenure in the financial markets, and over 24 years of involvement in the GIPS® standards. Last year, Chris participated in a webinar with David Spaulding titled “The GIPS Standards and The South African Market: What You Need to Know,” and he shares some of the key takeaways from that event. He discusses GIPS myths, the GIPS Compliance Thinktank, and the benefits of compliance for asset owners. "But I honestly believe that even from an asset owner point of view, the value they get out of implementing GIPS is making sure they go through all the steps and that everything is correct, so that at the end of the day, you know you've got a clean system, you've got clean processes, and things are working." In the lightning round, Chris talks about his favorite risk measure, the book he recommends everyone read, and the movie he's watched the most.Connect with Chris on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lourens-management-consultant/.

Arun Muralidhar sits down with Pat and Doug for Episode 13. Arun is Co-Founder of Mcube Investment Technologies LLC, and Co-Founder and Client CIO of AlphaEngine Global Investment Solutions.  In 2016, Arun won the Dietz Award for his article “Attribution Hears a Who! The Case for Decision Maker-Based Attribution.” He talks about how he came up with the idea for this article during a conversation at a conference dinner in the Netherlands. “By the next morning, I had a draft of the paper, so sometimes, it’s just pure luck that you happen to sit next to somebody, and that’s why conferences are great.” Arun tells us about his new book on risk-adjusted performance and its importance for finance theory and practice, and he provides writing advice for other performance professionals.Connect with Arun on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/arun-muralidhar-74b2182/.

Melissa Ahern joins us for our first episode of 2024! Melissa is product manager for performance & analytics, including asset owner private market services at State Street, and she has over 20 years of experience in the performance industry. She shares her performance measurement origin story with us and talks about the importance of the CIPM exam for those beginning their performance journey. Melissa discusses the future of ESG, the Performance Measurement Forum, and how asset owners benefit from GIPS compliance. "I think being confident in the data that's being reported is certainly a benefit, and knowing that best practices are being followed and that there's consistency." In the lightning round, Melissa touches on Superman, Jody Picoult, and the last song she downloaded.Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaahern/. For more information on the Performance Measurement Forum: https://tsgperformance.com/events/performance-measurement-forum-asset-owner-roundtable/.

In the final episode of the year, Pat and Doug sit down with Alex Serman. Alex has been with First Rate for seven years and is currently a managing director responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the Wealth Bank/Trust and Institutional markets. Alex attended the Performance Measurement Forum meeting in Porto, Portugal in November where he presented a topic on artificial intelligence. He shares some of the key takeaways with us, including when AI is coming, the risks, and the impact. "So, like any other tool, depending on how you use it, it could be good, it could be bad. It’s really up to you as a user to make sure that you integrate that properly, you mitigate all those risks." Alex also talks about his recent blog post, “5 Performance Measurement Methodologies to Master After-Tax Benchmarking,” the Whiskey and WealthTech podcast, which he hosts, and his love of languages. In the lightning round, Alex tells us about his go-to feel-good dinner and shares his favorite holiday memory from childhood.   Connect with Alex on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-serman-cipm-b04002a2/. For more information on the Performance Measurement Forum: https://tsgperformance.com/events/performance-measurement-forum-asset-owner-roundtable/.

Irina Almeida joins Pat and Doug for Episode 10 of TSG Time. Irina is a Principal at Mercer where she leads the European Investment Performance Monitoring Team. She discusses her preparation process for the CIPM exam, provides advice for those planning to take the exam, and talks about what she likes most about performance measurement. "You deal with so many people, within your company and outside your company. I think it's a profession that actually creates bridges. Being with clients, being with colleagues from the company, so it allows us to have this broader perspective of the investment world and industry." Irina also touches on travel planning, her favorite risk measure, and in the lightning round she recommends books and shares what she is most grateful for.Connect with Irina, https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinaalmeida/.

In this episode of TSG Time, Pat and Doug interview Claude Giguère. Claude is the CEO and Co-Founder of Robust Technologies, an industry leader in investment performance software. He has 35 years of experience in performance measurement and was inducted into the Performance & Risk Measurement Hall of Fame in 2020. Claude talks about how he developed his passion for performance early on in his career and provides advice to entrepreneurs. "Believe in your abilities, don't shy away from doing difficult things."  Claude, who spearheaded TSG's Data Quality Working Group,  discusses his upcoming article based on the group's findings. In the lightning round, Claude tells us about one change he's made that has made his life better.Claude's article will appear in the Fall 2023 issue of The Journal of Performance Measurement. Sign up for your free subscription now, https://tsgperformance.com/free-journal-of-performance-measurement/.Connect with Claude on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claude-gigu%C3%A8re-8b37082/.

Diane Robertson joins Pat and Doug for Episode 8 of TSG Time. Diane is Vice President, Head of Global Performance, Analytics, and Reporting at T. Rowe Price. She has 25 years of experience in the financial industry and is a 2022 recipient of TSG's Outstanding Women in Performance & Risk Measurement award. At PMAR 2023, Diane was a part of our "Talent Recruitment and Retention" panel. She shares some of the key takeaways from that discussion. She talks about the inaugural Women in Performance Measurement (Wipm) meeting and the group's future plans. “It’s a unique experience for women to be able to come into a room and talk with each other about the balance of your professional career aspirations and your home life, and have a real, authentic and candid, sometimes vulnerable, conversation.” In the lightning round, Diane touches on random acts of kindness and the best piece of advice she's ever been given.For more information on Women in Performance Measurement (Wipm), visit https://tsgperformance.com/events/women-in-performance-measurement/.Connect with Diane, https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsondiane/.

Pat and Doug sit down with Elske van de Burgt for Episode 7 of TSG Time.  Elske has been with Ortec Finance for over 25 years and is the managing director of the Investment Performance group. She discusses a second position she's recently taken on managing the climate and ESG team. Elske talks about the 2002 Dietz Award-winning article, “Decision-based Evaluation of the Performance of a Hierarchically Structured Investment Process,” which she co-authored with Jeroen Geenen, Marc Heemskerk, and Michiel Heerema, and provides some information on her upcoming speaking engagements and her research process. In the lightning round, Elske touches on overcoming fears and her favorite summertime activity. Connect with Elske, https://www.linkedin.com/in/elske-van-de-burgt/.

James Cardamone of FactSet joins Pat and Doug for Episode 6 and discusses his recent article, “Measurable Ways for Performance Teams to Add Value in ESG Investing,” which was published in the Winter 2022/2023 issue of The Journal of Performance Measurement. James talks about ESG composite scoring and the considerations that go into constructing one,  as well as the use of carbon analytics in performance style reports. James also touches on modern classical music and the most meaningful book he’s ever read, “The Art of Happiness.”Connect with James, https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-cardamone-5b663814/.Sign up for a free subscription now, https://tsgperformance.com/free-journal-of-performance-measurement/.

Doug interviews Pat in this bonus episode of TSG Time. Pat celebrated his 25th anniversary at TSG in June. In this episode, he shares some of the highlights of his career, discusses how the company became the leader in the performance and risk measurement conference space, and tells us why Dublin, Ireland is his favorite place to visit with TSG. The Performance Measurement Forum recently held its 100th meeting in the US and 101st meeting in Europe, and Pat, who has overseen the group from the beginning, contrasts the US and EMEA Forums. In the lightning round, he touches on golf and music. Connect with Patrick, https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-fowler-755685/.For more information on the Performance Measurement Forum, click here, https://tsgperformance.com/events/performance-measurement-forum-asset-owner-roundtable/.