The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Molly Burba is Managing Director in Investment Research at RiskBridge Advisors, an OCIO firm serving institutional and individual investors.  She previously held a series of investment research and allocation roles.  She has a passion for wellness and spent a period working as a wellness consultant in a firm she established, and was captain of the Women’s Soccer Team while at Vanderbilt University. Our conversation starts with Molly's first passion - for sports.  From backyard soccer skills to competitive play and captaining a university level team, we learn what drives her in sports, and some of the life lessons it taught her.  These lessons included learning to put a team's interests first when her own play time might be compromised, and coping and resetting after peaking early.We move then to her career in finance and how the Outsourced Chief Investment Officer firm she is currently in offers a perfect blend of self-directed research, client service and decision making. We speak also about the challenges and rewards of blending work and family and the management style that is most accommodative.Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Dr. Namukale Chintu is a finance professional who holds Non Executive Director Roles including roles at Invesco Limited and Arkadia Asset Management and a number of advisory roles. She started her career in investment banking and held a series of Executive Director roles in Proprietary Capital and Wealth Management covering Africa. She is the founder of Frontier Market Consultants. A former Rhodes Scholar, she is National Secretary for the Rhodes Scholarship in Zambia and is passionate about encouraging entrepreneurship and enabling diverse founders to thrive.  This is a sweeping discussion which covers Namukale's early education in Zambia, her path to Oxford and her first foray into investment management.  Our conversation cycles through the investment case for Africa, why she is so passionate about assisting entrepreneurs there and how her own life experience has enriched her perspective.  We discuss how her experience of early setbacks at university in Zambia prepared her for some of the volatility that the finance world provided (e.g. at Lehman Brothers in 2008).  We examine how that learned skill of adaptation and pivoting is an essential one in the business world, and how, now as a director, it can be brought to bear in providing non-executive advice and input. Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Hardeep Rai is Group Chief Executive Officer at The Kaleidoscope Group of Companies, which enable disabled individuals to realize their full potential and find their purpose by enabling them to learn new skills, find their dream job or start their own business.  Kaleidoscope Investments invests in disabled individuals with great ideas enabling them to launch their own businesses.   Hardeep is a prominent advocate for the rights of disabled people, particularly in the City of London network, and is driven by an agenda of social impact and inclusion.  I was drawn to Hardeep upon reading a passionate LinkedIn post of his celebrating the birthday of his son Eshan - who has severe cerebral palsy and is now in his teens.  That post, which celebrates their love for eachother and the joy each brings to the other's life, struck a chord with many.  Hardeep was inspired by the response to that post to set up a LinkedIn group for parents of children with special needs. Our conversation covers Hardeep's own career in the city and how Eshan's birth drove him to take a separate path.  He now is an advocate for disabled individuals in the City of London as well as a leader in The Kaleidoscope group of companies.  Through Hardeep's work with disabled individuals he saw the important cognitive diversity that could be brought to many corporate settings.  He also became aware of the unique challenges facing disabled individuals seeking to start their own businesses and has dedicated a separate entity within Kaleidoscope to that.  This is an inspiring and uplifting conversation that may just cause you to think differently about difference, about potential and the right of every individual to pursue their career path with dignity and hope.Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Tremaine Wills is the founder and chief operating officer of Mind Over Money, which provides financial planning advice and manages investment portfolios to help clients meet their financial goals. She formerly spent time as an investment advisor representative, and from 2015 to 2019 worked as a maths teacher initially for Teach for America. Based in Virginia, she is passionate about increasing financial literacy for the black community in particular.Our conversation starts with Tremaine's childhood growing up in a single family household in the Virginia Beach area.  She had an early talent for braiding hair but quickly realized though that her braiding business, while allowing her to have a creative outlet, would not be scaleable and was physically challenging.  We move then to her college career at an HBCU, and her first foray into finance and business and how isolating she ultimately found that.  Driven by a desire to give back to her community, promote financial literacy and create a safe space for herself in the financial advisor community she launched her own RIA.She remains passionate about serving the black community in wealth management and in furthering financial literacy and we dig in to some of the challenges and roadblocks that she thinks are in place. Most of this results from mindset and embedded behaviors around saving and we discuss ways that this can be addressed, particularly through long-term coaching style and supportive relationships and networks.Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Marquette Chester is Senior Managing Director and Head of Alternatives at Xponance, Inc., based in Atlanta Georgia.  He previously spent over 20 years at Invesco, the last 11 years of which were as Managing Director within the Private Capital area. Our conversation covers Marquette's legendary career - where he has worked in a range of financial services firms and forged a name for himself as a relationship builder who is committed to leaving the industry richer than he found it.We speak about the hurdles that Marquette has set for himself, his standards of excellence, and the importance that relationships have had throughout his career arc. Throughout his career Marquette has seen significant change in terms of diversity, and has been committed to organizations such as NASP.Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Alex Edmans, is a professor of finance at the London Business school.  Alex has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talk “The Social Responsibility of Business” with a combined 2.4 million views. Alex’s book, “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”, (see also link here:  https://mybook.to/Grow-The-Pie-pb) was featured in the Financial Times list of Business Books of the Year for 2020, and he is a co-author of “Principles of Corporate Finance” (with Brealey, Myers, and Allen) for the 14th edition to be published in April 2022. Poets and Quants named him Professor of the Year for 2021.Our conversation starts with Alex's first foray into finance, which was as a practitioner and why he saw a path of academia as enabling him to have broader reach, and ultimately create more impact.  We speak in detail about his areas of focus, and Alex is honest about the danger of academic research being cherry-picked to lend credence to different objectives. We use some relatable analogies to explain the benefits of engagement v. divestment, and explore the meaning of what "responsible business practice" really means and the trade-offs that are involved.Alex is noted for bringing the latest in cutting edge sustainability research into industry in a digestible and commercial way, and for this reason I believe he is responsible for "shrinking the gap" between theory and practice. This is a broad-reaching and stimulating discussion.Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Ryan Bailey is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Carbonado Partners LLC, a leading placement agent with a differentiated approach to fundraising for emerging managers.   He was previously Head of Investments at Children’s Health in the Dallas Area, and prior to that held various roles in investment boutiques including placement firms. Our conversation starts with his ultra-early interest in investing and a purchase of Telmex stock that ended up funding his college education. The passion for investing he discovered then followed him into an allocator role where he spent many years as a Director of Investments for Dallas Children's Hospital. He talks about the particular aspects of investing on behalf of a hospital and how the concept of "enterprise risk" drives the asset allocation decision. Now in a leadership role at Carbonado partners, Ryan spends significant time with emerging managers and sees firsthand the challenges faced by them. He assesses the industry as barely having a passing grade in that respect, and is keen to see that improve.Finally Ryan shares what being a survivor of the World Trade Center collapse in 2001 taught him about appreciating each day, being mindful of his own good fortune and taking nothing for granting.  It is an inspiring conversation that leaves us with the wise words: A wise man knows everything and a shrewd man knows everybody.  Words to remember indeed. Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Cynthia Tusan is CEO and Chairman of Strategic Global Advisors, a fundamentally inspired and quantitatively driven investment manager focused on global equities, a role she has held for over 16 years.  She previously was a portfolio manager at Wells Capital Management and is based in the Newport Beach area.Our conversation starts with her upbringing which was the ultimate marriage of science and art, and translate that into her current passion for investment, which is, of course, part art and science.  We speak about her experience of founding a firm as well as her philosophy for leading and motivating a team. During our diversity discussion we discuss a recent example of "taking a stand" in which Cynthia publicly challenged an industry article that suggested that female fund managers had seen more negative impact from pandemic-related school closures than male fund managers.  See this link for more information on the outcome: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1smmwcdnt0nkm/A-Note-to-Our-ReadersWe move then to her passion for education, in particular after-school education programs, and the impact that they can have. Our conversation ends with the people who have inspired her - and there is quite a list!Series 2 of the 2022 Fiftyfaces Podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

Stephanie Braming is Global Head of Investment Management at William Blair & Co.  based in Chicago. She was previously a portfolio manager and specialist at William Blair. And prior to that investment consultant, she started her career as an examiner in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.We start with her upbringing in a rural town in the Midwest and how she moved from an English literature major to a role as a federal bank examiner, where she was once referred to as "that examiner girl".  The fit proved to be a good one though as her visits involved banks like those in her home town.  She moved from there to a role as an investment consultant and then a portfolio manager at an asset management firm.Now in a leadership role at the firm and Global Head of Investment Management she is focused on a range of issues, from meaningful integration of ESG risk factors across the investment processes to improving the recruiting pipeline to ensure it feeds a diverse investment industry of the future. This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of the William Blair Active Share Podcast. 

In Series 2 of the 2022 podcast we discussing taking a stand – a stand against climate change, against bias, against  recruitment processes that aren’t generating the results and against stereotypical thinking. We hear from another 10 inspiring guests from around the world.  From the academic who realized he could make a better impact with his sustainable finance agenda in the world through publishing papers and writing books, to the fund manager with a passion for improving after school education to a head of asset management who is changing the recruitment process from the ground up.We hear about a founder committed to leveling the playing field for persons with disabilities both in the City and in entrepreneurial endeavors, and a former college soccer star whose lessons on the field prepared her for being a supportive team player in her work life.  A master fund-raiser tells us how the the greatest hurdles he ever faced were those he set for himself, while the founder of a placement firm discusses the work he does to elevate diverse managers. A financial advisor describes the work she does to promote financial literacy and describes how not feeling safe in her job motivated her to launch her own firm, while a fund director reveals how her university life in Zambia prepared her for the unexpected. Staying in Africa we hear how farm-life is a good preparation for surviving in markets. There is more information on the Fiftyfaces Podcast on the fiftyfaceshub.com. Meet the guests in Series 1:Stephanie Braming is global head of investment management at William Blair & Company.  Based in Chicago, she was previously a portfolio manager and specialist at William Blair, and prior to that an investment consultant.  She started her career as an examiner in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Year for 2021. Cynthia Tusan is CEO and Chairman of Strategic Global Advisors, a fundamentally inspired and quantitatively driven investment manager focused on global equities, a role she has held for over 16 years.  She previously was a portfolio manager at Wells Capital Management and is based in the Newport Beach Area. Ryan Bailey is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Carbonado Partners LLC, a leading placement agent with a differentiated approach to fundraising for emerging managers.   He was previously Head of Investments at Children’s Health in the Dallas Area, and prior to that held various roles in investment boutiques including placement firms. Alex Edmans is a professor of finance at the London Business school.  Alex has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talk “The Social Responsibility of Business” with a combined 2.4 million views. Alex’s book, “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”, was featured in the Financial Times list of Business Books of the Year for 2020, and he is a co-author of “Principles of Corporate Finance” (with Brealey, Myers, and Allen) for the 14th edition to be published in April 2022. Poets and Quants named him Professor of theMarquette Chester is Senior Managing Director and Head of Alternatives at Xponance, Inc., based in Atlanta Georgia.  He previously spent over 20 years at Invesco, the last 11 years of which were as Managing Director within the Private Capital area.  Tremaine Wills is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Mind Over Money, which provides financial planning advice and manages investment portfolios to help client meet their financial goals.  She formerly spent time as an Investment Advisor Representative and from 2015 to 2019 worked as a mathematics teacher, initially for Teach for America. Based in Virginia, she is passionate about increasing financial literacy for the Black Community in particular. Hardeep Rai is Group Chief Executive Officer at The Kaleidoscope Group of Companies, which enable disabled individuals to realize their full potential and find their purpose by enabling them to learn new skills, find their dream job or start their own business.  Kaleidoscope Investments, which invests in disabled individuals with great ideas enabling them to launch their own businesses.   He is a prominent advocate for the rights of disabled people, particularly in the City of London network, and is driven by an agenda of social impact and inclusion.  Dr. Namukale Chintu holds Non Executive Director Roles including roles at Invesco Limited and Arkadia Asset Management and a number of advisory roles. She started her career in investment banking and held a series of Executive Director roles in Proprietary Capital and Wealth Management covering Africa., She is the founder of Frontier Market Consultants. A former Rhodes Scholar, she is National Secretary for the Rhodes Scholarship in Zambia and is passionate about encouraging entrepreneurship and enabling diverse founders to thrive.  Molly Burba is Managing Director in Investment Research at RiskBridge Advisors, an OCIO firm serving institutional and individual investors.  She previously held a series of investment research and allocation roles.  She has a passion for Wellness and spent a period working as a wellness consultant in a firm she established, and was captained of the Women’s Soccer Team while at Vanderbilt University.  Nazmeera Moola is Chief Sustainability Officer of Ninety One, based in Capetown, where she previously headed up South African investing. So from Tuesday March 15 tune in to hear from our 10 inspiring guests in Series 2. You can find all of our podcasts on the Fiftyfaces Hub, together with other resources such as affinity groups, internships and job opportunities, coaching and tips for well-being. Please follow us on Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIN, and rate us on Apple Podcasts to spread the word.