The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Tiffany Wilding is a managing director and economist based in the Newport Beach office of PIMCO.  She leads PIMCO’s Cyclical Forum, crafts the firm’s outlook for the global economy, and analyzes key macro risks for the firm’s Investment Committee. Previously, she was a U.S. interest rate strategist in two firms and a Treasury market policy analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where she helped structure and implement the central bank’s response to the 2008 financial crisis.Our discussion starts with Tiffany’s path through finance and spends quite a bit of time discussing her learnings from her time at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York during the financial crisis. We speak about the toolbox available to an institution like this during a crisis and how calm heads must prevail.  Moving then to her role at PIMCO we discuss client needs and how they are evolving as well as the work of the secular forum and what is on their mind against the current backdrop. At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you!We are now at 284 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential.Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Veena Aiyer has launched a community app for neurodiverse audiences called QRKIEZ.  The goal of QRKIEZ is to be an innovative platform designed to support neurodivergent individuals by fostering social connections, providing mentorship and offering tailored professional services. She previously worked in a series of startups  and tech companies. In our conversation Veena describes her upbringing in India and the path that took her to the US.  She describes her own discovery of neurodivergence and what prompted her to seek to create a means for other neurodivergent individuals to connect and exchange ideas.  We discuss what is missing in the job market and social media universe for this cohort and how simple features of an app can make such a difference. The app aims to connect neurodivergent individuals who share similar interests and passions and has a mission to facilitate the formation of friendships, mentorships, and support services for the neurodivergent, and gain access to service providers, job postings, and other information of interest, help, and fun. Parent and family support are offered as well, and all allies are welcome. There is more information about QRKIEZ on https://www.qrkiez.com/, where you can also sign up in advance for the soon-to-be launched App.🎉At Fiftyfaces Productions Ltd. we want to hear from you! 🎉We are now at 284 podcasts in the main  #fiftyfacespodcast and over 300 including our spin-off series and special themes.🎉We have championed hundreds of stories and amplified hundreds of role models. We have discussed difficult topics and empowering ones, and have moved the conversation on at every turn.🎉Now, as we look to 2025, we want to continue to improve and develop content that adds to the richness of our professional lives with no agenda other than to enable more people to achieve their potential. 🎉Please #write to us, #comment here or #complete the google form here https://lnkd.in/gj54v3Zz to tell us what you like, dislike and how we can improve. And you can always support us on Patreon here https://lnkd.in/gQ7zmEuB. Every little helps.

Lindsey Stewart is Director of Stewardship Research and Policy at Morningstar Sustainanalytics, where he is a sustainability and governance specialist. Based in London he writes regularly about how institutional investors engage with companies and policymakers on environmental, social and governance themes and is a regular speaker on these topics. He previously was head of Stakeholder Engagement at the Financial Reporting Council and spent 8 years at KPMG in various engagement roles. Our conversation starts with Lindsey’s unconventional background where he approached finance straight from school instead of via a traditional college degree.  He describes it as a “moon shot” and details his journey into a governance specialists role, and some of the disorientation he experienced once he “landed” on the moon. This leads to a discussion around socio-economic mobility and the profession more generally and we look at the scaffolding that can enable such moves. We turn then to a discussion of the current state of sustainability data, where the world of engagement has moved to and challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the area of sustainable investing.

Julie Koeninger is Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager in Agriculture at Manulife Investment Management, where she leads business development for Manulife Investment Management global agriculture strategy.  She has over 30 years of experience in agriculture investing, having worked in a series of roles at other institutions prior to joining Manulife and led the first ever securitization of US Agricultural mortgages.   Our conversation traces Julie’s career at the intersection of infrastructure and finance and the evolution of those industries in terms of product creation and understanding of the asset class. We examine some of the lateral moves that Julie made throughout her career and how they contributed to her growth as a professional.  We spend some time on the innovations in products centered around agriculture and look at how investors are treating agriculture within the context of their overall portfolio.  This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Mike Tiedemann was a Founding Partner, CEO and Chairman of the Internal Investment Committee at Tiedemann Advisors, as well as CEO at Tiedemann Investment Group (TIG), before leading the merger that created AlTi. Early in his career, Mike lived and worked in Brazil as part of the equity research group at Banco Garantia and later ran the equity sales and trading operations for Latin America.Mike serves on the board of multiple organizations and has been recognized multiple times for his contributions to charitable causes. He founded and chairs The River Fund, a nonprofit that provides food, education and support services to help families in New York City break the cycle of poverty.Our conversation starts with Mike’s experience in emerging markets and how that set the tone for the rest of his career – leading to a comfort level with uncertainty and a tolerance for volatility. We move then to discuss his founder role in a financial firm, and how he experienced a merger of that firm and the dynamics that went with it. Finally we end our discussion with a deep dive into the issues that are close to Michaels’ heart and why.  This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com. 

Sarah Fromson, who is Chair of the Cambridge University Endowment Fund Investment Advisory Board.  She also holds a number of other Non Executive Board roles, including at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Quilter Investors, Capital Generation Partners among others. She spent 11 years as head of Investment Risk at the Wellcome Trust and prior to that was a Chief Investment Risk Officer at RBS Asset Management.  Our conversation starts with Sarah’s ascent through the City in various investment and risk roles and discuss the evolution of the risk management function. We discuss how norms and corporate culture changed during this time, and how risk was handled at Wellcome Trust. We move then to discuss her portfolio career and what it takes to be an effective board member and chair.    This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Rob Gardner is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rebalance Earth, which redirects the flow of capital to protect and restore nature at scale, He was a guest on this podcast in 2021, and that show is available here.  He has recently written a book with the title FR££DOM, which advocates three money moves to transform your finances. EARN IT, KEEP IT, GROW IT. This is just one part of his career-long mission to further financial literacy, education and investing for a world worth living in.  This podcast is mainly focused on the book FR££DOM, which is designed as a toolkit for young people to enjoy financial freedom.  We talk about the different attitudes to money and different needs as well as the shifting priorities of generations – e.g. the current young generation seeking to own less and experience more.  On the topic of saving, we discuss how most people are not wired to save and the rise of credit – such as Buy Now Pay Later Schemes. We move then to discuss previous economic crises/property market crashes and what they teach us in terms of fiscal discipline and then discuss the two chapters in the book dedicated to digital assets and crypto currencies. This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

"An investment in education gives the best returns” Benjamin FranklinTony Miller is managing director of Excolere Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on the education space.  He holds a number of board roles including Apollo Education group, ACT, Criteria Corp and Go Guardian.  He was co-founder of the Vistria Group, a Chicago based private equity firm and prior to that was Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer in the US Department of Education.  Our conversation traces his extensive career in education, including roles at McKinsey, Silver Lake, Vistria and the US Department of Education. He emphasizes the importance of deploying private capital in education to achieve significant impact at scale and highlights the need for innovative solutions that can be scaled across various educational sectors.  We turn then to the potential role of AI in transforming education, and how to align financial returns with educational outcomes. Miller underscores the significance of diversity and inclusion in education and shares personal reflections on career highs and lows. This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com. 

Ilya Zaides is CIO and Founder of 14B. He started his career as a lawyer, eventually transitioning to an allocator role within two leading hedge fund allocators. He then made a switch into fund management, founding 14B 15 years ago.Our conversation starts with Ilya’s childhood and the impact of his parent’s immigrant’s journey – in which they   traveled from the former Soviet Union. We examine the impact that this has on work ethic, subject choice, and some of the philosophical underpinnings that he inherited from his parents.We speak about his own journey from law, what it was that he didn’t enjoy about this area of study, and how he transitioned into the world of investment. We turn then to his current focus at 14B and the challenge of navigating the current turmoil in markets. This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity acrossalternative investments. With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.

Jeanie Coomber is the founder of the Warriors at Work platform, and an executive coach.  Our discussion charts her journey from a corporate career at Alliance Bernstein to becoming a coach. We talk about the personality type necessary to be a coach, and Jeanie Coomber highlighted her unique approach to coaching, integrating her mother's psychotherapy expertise. There is more information on the Warriors at Work platform here: https://jeaniecoomber.com/warriors-at-work-show/In discussing what she is tackling in her coaching conversations today, we also discussed the evolving needs of executives, such as navigating politics and fostering human-oriented conversations. Jeanie emphasized the importance of courageous conversations and self-reflection. She shared challenges that have been faced, including starting her business post-maternity leave and managing her family medical issues.  This podcast is kindly supported by GCM Grosvenor. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management firm with a longstanding commitment to supporting small, emerging, and diverse investment managers. For over 30 years, the firm has developed expertise in funding and guiding these managers as part of its broader activity across alternative investments.  With over $20 billion in AUM dedicated to small and emerging managers and $16 billion in AUM dedicated to diverse managers, GCM Grosvenor leverages its experienced team, broad network, and proprietary sourcing capabilities to support their success. Through the Small, Emerging, and Diverse Manager Program, the firm creates opportunities for investors to access a wide range of talent while seeking to drive strong returns and impact. For more information, visit www.gcmgrosvenor.com.