The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Jennifer Barry is an investment advisor at Aaron Wealth Advisors in Chicago. She previously spent over 26 years at Citi, where she held a series of roles and focused on institutional equity sales most recently. We start with Jenn's upbringing in the suburbs of Detroit and the culture of owning restaurants in her family that instilled in her the value of a dollar, and a habit of hard work. We follow her love of sports (and volleyball in particular), discuss the coaches and support team that believed in her, and trace her path into finance. After a career in finance that was fast-paced and intense Jenn felt the need to make a change and after 26 years changed gears to become an investment advisor. We discuss how the focus of that has shifted from advising clients on their finances to advising them on their lives. We look at what this entails and how the role of a financial advisor is evolving to incorporate behavior - both of the advisor and the clients. There is a shoutout to the Building the Behavioral Advisor program hosted by our mutual friend - and upcoming podcast guest - Brian Portnoy and his team at Shaping Wealth and a discussion of how women in particular are serviced in the wealth advisory business. This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Tom Raber and Alvine Capital, a specialist investment advisor and fund placement boutique with offices in London and Stockholm. An early adopter of the “reverse enquiry” form of placement, Alvine relies on insight and dialogue with its pan-European investor base to develop and source investment solutions from a wide variety of industry providers Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC is registered as an investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC only transacts business in states where it is properly registered or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission, nor does it indicate that the adviser has attained a particular level of skill or ability. This material is not intended to be a recommendation or investment advice, does not constitute a solicitation to buy or sell securities, and is not provided in a fiduciary capacity. The information provided does not take into account the specific objectives or circumstances of any particular investor or suggest any specific course of action. Investment decisions should be made based on an investor’s objectives and circumstances and in consultation with his or her advisors.

Howard Fischer was the original founder of Basso Capital hedge fund and the co-founder of the Gratitude Railroad initiative in 2013. He is now the Chairman Emeritus of Basso Capital and “Chief Evangelist” at The Gratitude Railroad. The Gratitude Railroad is an initiative that unites 9 “tracks” or different concepts using capitalism to solve a social or environmental problem. Our conversation starts by tracing Howard's route into finance and some of the serendipity and chance that led to his first training in the field. We follow this through the areas of merger arbitrage, convertible bond arbitrage and special situations and hear about what led to his founding of his own firm, Basso Capital. We discuss then the deeply humbling process of capital raising and learn about some of its ups and downs. Market volatility has been a constant backing sound track to the years that Basso Capital has been in business and Howard discusses the impact of particularly difficult market periods such as 2008 and the mindset that assisted him in navigating it. We move then to Howard's current evangelical passion - with the Gratitude Railroad. We discuss how it originated, following his participation in the Harvard Leadership Initiative - https://www.advancedleadership.harvard.edu/, which is designed to unleash the potential of experienced leaders to help solve society's most pressing challenges. The Gratitude Railroad (https://gratituderailroad.com/) has various intersecting strategies focused on impact and includes direct venture capital, incubation, education, collaboration and partnerships. In the discussion we discuss what impact means and touch on subjects as diverse as grassfed beef, rotational grazing, regenerative agriculture, social justice, renewable energy and other concepts that fall under the definition of conscious capitalism. This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Tom Raber and Alvine Capital, a specialist investment advisor and fund placement boutique with offices in London and Stockholm. An early adopter of the “reverse enquiry” form of placement, Alvine relies on insight and dialogue with its pan-European investor base to develop and source investment solutions from a wide variety of industry providers

Christine Reed is an analyst on the Fixed Income team at Ninety One covering Latin American sovereign and currency markets. Based in New York, Christine is responsible for all Latin America coverage and supports the alpha decision-making process across investment capabilities. She previously worked at Goldman Sachs Asset and Citigroup. Our conversation starts with Christine's first foray into finance and how she found herself fitting on a trading floor. We then trace her path into emerging markets and some initial early lessons on having to take risk, and "own" that risk. We then do a deep dive into emerging markets and work around the region analyzing central bank policy, the strength of institutions, the reaction to inflation and the road ahead. We spend a dedicated section discussing ESG integration and some of the leapfrogging that is occurring in developing countries. We look at past systemic crises in certain EM regions and ask why this has been avoided in the most recent crisis post-Covid. When it comes to portfolio construction in an Emerging Market Debt portfolio we look at the interplay of quantitative and qualitative inputs and how divergent some of the components of an index can be. Finally in this section we examine recent geopolitical risk and concerns and investors' reaction to them. Christine's perspective on diversity in the industry is informed by her time spent in emerging markets where different support systems and social structures exist supporting working parents. We look at the importance of these support systems in enabling leaders to thrive and ask how far away we are from this equilibrium in our current industry state. This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Tom Raber and Alvine Capital, a specialist investment advisor and fund placement boutique with offices in London and Stockholm. An early adopter of the "reverse enquiry" form of placement, Alvine relies on insight and dialogue with its pan-European investor base to develop and source investment solutions from a wide variety of industry providers.

In Series 4 of the Fiftyfaces Podcast of 2023 we gather 10 guests who share a passion for excellence – in very different fields. We hear from a legendary business builder about how he closes the deal while a hedge fund manager shares the humbling effect of market downturns. A CIO reveals her ups and downs and the importance of learning to take risk and having a backup plan, while a serial builder of banks and financial institutions who started her career decades ago tells us what has changed, and what has not and sharpens the focus on what kind of mentors really matter An angel investing expert tells us about the school he has formed to bring angel investors to the table and fill the gaps in their expertise while a guest who studied “game theory” at Uni of Berkeley during the Flower Power era relates it to risk taking and asset allocation and he offers up an antidote to AI, the value of humans in interpreting information. An emerging market debt specialist learned quickly that taking a position was important, while a private wealth manager describes what drives her. Finally we examine the biases inherent in the work we do and ask why to start with the “who” and we even hear from a real life Ted Lasso about the his commitment to a League 2 football team, and how seeing an underdog thrive is the passion that drives him. So tune in every Tuesday and Thursday from June 27 through early August where we will release a new episode of the series twice a week. If you like what you heard and would like to support our content and our mission to amplify diverse voices, you can support us on Patreon. Just search for Fiftyfaces Podcast or click on the following link: Patreon Link

Bruno Kaiser is CFO at Smile CDR Incl, a digital health company based in Toronto. He previously spent over 20 years in a series of investment banking leadership roles with a particular focus on the Metals and Mining Sector. We were classmates at INSEAD from 1999-2000.    Our conversation takes a journey from the old economy to the new economy – starting with Bruno’s upbringing in Canada, his path into investment banking and ultimately the field of metals and mining. We discuss valuation dynamics in this field, the evolution of the area, what it takes to deliver value as an investment banker in this arena and how the companies are responding to growing ESG demands.  We turn then to something totally different, which is the field of digital health, where Bruno is currently focused. The capacity for data and artificial intelligence to improve the user experience within healthcare is immense and we discuss what that will mean for cost structures as well as the balance between tele-health and in-person interactions. We finish with a discussion about the move from being a banker to a CFO and how that transition looked, and reflect on how bankers can sometimes be pigeon-holed and have challenges in moving to industry. Bruno discusses how this can be countered – through building strong relationships with clients, reading around the industries one works in and really focused on specific rather than generic industry problems.

David Semmens is Chief Investment Officer at Cadro and an External Investment Committee Member at Wealthify where he was previously CIO. He holds additional Investment Committee and advisory roles and is an adjunct lecturer at Heriot-Watt University.  Our conversation starts with David’s path into the world of investment which took him around various European cities and ultimately to Edinburgh where he decided to settle. We speak about the impact of Fintech on the way that wealth is managed and discuss its disruptive nature as well as the focus on dynamism and change. This is a significant shift from the older, more static, approach to managing money towards a more personalized and interactive approach. We trace the beginning of this interactivity to ESG and sustainable investing trends and now examine how it is becoming more widespread. We return to the concept of communication and how key that is to get ideas across. Series 3 of the 2023 Fiftyfaces Podcast is supported by Eagle Point Credit Management. Eagle Point Credit Management is a specialist investment manager principally focused on income-oriented credit investments in niche and inefficient markets. Founded by Thomas Majewski in partnership with Stone Point Capital in 2012, Eagle Point currently manages over $7.8 billion in AUM. Investment strategies pursued by the firm include collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), portfolio debt securities, and other opportunities across the credit universe. Currently, they believe that Eagle Point is the largest investor in CLO equity in the world and one of the largest non-bank lenders focused on providing financing solutions to credit funds. Learn more about Eagle Point at http://eaglepointcredit.com/

Sonali Patel Wilson is Managing Director and Director of Alternatives, Americas at Wellington Management where she is based in the New York City area. She sits on the investment committee of the Harry and Jeanette Foundation in Baltimore and she is the trustee of EWAAB Encouraging Women across All Borders, which helps college aged women and non-binary individuals build their confidence to enter STEM and finance fields. She previously held various positions at PIMCO focused on account management in the alternatives area and has held various investor relations and analyst roles. Our conversation traces Sonali's roots and the path her parents took as immigrants from India as well as the entrepreneurship and sacrifice that served as the backdrop to her childhood. The entrepreneurship journey took them from lobby convenience store stands to real estate and the focus was on studying and academic achievement and, always, hard work. We move then to her journey into investment and finance and how she found her voice and style in developing a network and some of the surprising turns that that journey took. This discussion infuses Sonali's personal and professional lives, in which she followed a tradition of "breaking with tradition" in her own choice of life partner, and this has given her a new appreciation for diversity and inclusion. Sonali has numerous interests that are close to her heart and many of them relate to STEM and finance and getting those areas more diverse. In particular her work with EWAAB (Encouraging Women across All Borders) is impactful in this respect and we discuss what drives her to do more in this area. Series 3 of the 2023 Fiftyfaces Podcast is supported by Eagle Point Credit Management. Eagle Point Credit Management is a specialist investment manager principally focused on income-oriented credit investments in niche and inefficient markets. Founded by Thomas Majewski in partnership with Stone Point Capital in 2012, Eagle Point currently manages over $7.8 billion in AUM. Investment strategies pursued by the firm include collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), portfolio debt securities, and other opportunities across the credit universe. Currently, they believe that Eagle Point is the largest investor in CLO equity in the world and one of the largest non-bank lenders focused on providing financing solutions to credit funds. Learn more about Eagle Point at http://eaglepointcredit.com/

Monika Mantilla is the President and CEO of Altura Capital, which provides institutional investors and strategic partners a mechanism of investing in underserved markets including high-performing small and diverse businesses. She is also a Co-Founder and Managing Member of Small Business Community Capital. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of Los Cidrines, based in Puerto Rico and Florida as well as holding a number of other board roles.  Our conversation captures Monika's upbringing in Bogota, Colombia and her path through law and logistics into the world of investment. We dig in then to what the vision is for Altura Capital - which means "Height" as well as "dignity". Raising small business and underrepresented diverse-owned businesses to new heights with dignity. We discuss what impact means and how it is measured. We discuss then other entities that have similar missions such as Minority Business Development Agency and the Knight Foundation has done. We end then with the importance of relationships, self-reflection and building powerful networks. Series 3 of the 2023 Fiftyfaces Podcast is supported by Eagle Point Credit Management. Eagle Point Credit Management is a specialist investment manager principally focused on income-oriented credit investments in niche and inefficient markets. Founded by Thomas Majewski in partnership with Stone Point Capital in 2012, Eagle Point currently manages over $7.8 billion in AUM. Investment strategies pursued by the firm include collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), portfolio debt securities, and other opportunities across the credit universe. Currently, we believe that Eagle Point is the largest investor in CLO equity in the world and one of the largest non-bank lenders focused on providing financing solutions to credit funds. Learn more about Eagle Point at http://eaglepointcredit.com/

Last year we launched a podcast with Steve Butler of Puntall Southall Aspire which shone a light on ageism as one of the last acceptable forms of discrimination.  This received such a groundswell of a response that we wanted to dig deeper into this area to develop a special next chapter series around the problems of ageism, the importance of having access to meaningful productive work as we age and some of the barriers – both invisible and visible – that exist in society to this. Tune in for insights from psychology, marketing, work, activism and psychiatry.    This series looks at the unique challenges of mid-life and the growth of interest in the psychology of mid-life and beyond and hear from Laura Walker who focuses on this area and has written a book about the intersection of fear and confidence.  We look at the obsession with age and some of the  deeply entrenched biases that exist around age in popular culture hearing from Debbie Marshall, who has specialized in marketing to older consumers for years. We hear updates from Steve Butler about recruiting habits that tend to discriminate against older candidates and from Alistair McQueen about the Mid Life Review that has been offered to staff at Aviva. Tony Watts shares his life's passion and work at Age Action Alliance which earned him an OBE, while Professor Veronica O'Keane shares the medical basis of the wisdom of old age. This is an area that currently sits in the shadows of some of the diversity debate, and we want to bring it out of there Let’s ensure that all of us can look forward to a future of dignity, purpose and security. This podcast series was made possible by the kind support of Darwin Alternatives. Darwin Alternative Investment Management Limited offers innovative, alpha-driven investment solutions that are uncorrelated with traditional asset classes and feature business areas which have not previously been considered by investment funds. The firm aims to create new opportunities for investors to further diversify their portfolios and achieve stable absolute returns.

Tory Hyndman is a Partner at Charta Partners. She has had a career of 25 years in executive search focused on investment management, having spent time at Heidrick & Struggles as well as David Barrett Partners, where she established the London office and wider EMEA business. She is passionate about educating women about careers in the City and is a volunteer for Founders4Schools as well as Maths4Girls as well as an Ambassador for The Diversity Project. Our conversation starts with Tory's upbringing in Vancouver, her university career at Queen's in Kingston and how she was first introduced to the concept of executive search. A spell in Hong Kong followed and then a long career in some of the most storied search firms servicing the financial sector. This deep dive into human capital starts with her craft - attracting and retaining it. We discuss how hybrid working has led to lower turnover in some quarters, and how it has leveled the playing field for so many. We look at the areas where attracting talent has been challenged and how the changing shape of social media - including in particular LinkedIN - is changing the landscape for search. We then move on to another aspect of human capital - finding it and lighting the spark for math and finance at an early stage. Tory is passionate about encouraging financial literacy and getting more girls to study STEM. She describes the impact of such programs and the work that she does for The Diversity Project as an ambassador. Series 3 of the 2023 Fiftyfaces Podcast is supported by Eagle Point Credit Management. Eagle Point Credit Management is a specialist investment manager principally focused on income-oriented credit investments in niche and inefficient markets. Founded by Thomas Majewski in partnership with Stone Point Capital in 2012, Eagle Point currently manages over $7.8 billion in AUM. Investment strategies pursued by the firm include collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), portfolio debt securities, and other opportunities across the credit universe. Currently, we believe that Eagle Point is the largest investor in CLO equity in the world and one of the largest non-bank lenders focused on providing financing solutions to credit funds. Learn more about Eagle Point at http://eaglepointcredit.com/