We are grateful to Amundi for such recognition and their confidence and trust . It is a tremendous opportunity and we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead of us .”
What were the biggest challenges ( if any ) you faced with the merger & since the merger ?
“ The integration between Pioneer and Amundi brought together two companies with an exciting story of development and created one of the top asset manager firms in the world in terms of AUM , with strong potential in both growth and productivity . From a more trading perspective , the integration brought together two very large organisations , very well known in the trading arena and with a long history of innovation and technological development . The day after the integration , the combined trading team counted 87 traders , spread out in 12 countries and 3 continents , working around the clock in six different time zones . In 2016 , the two teams executed in excess of 2 million orders and the combined trading turnover of the two trading teams , globally , reached nearly € 5 trillion , a number that is very close to the GDP of Germany and France put together . If you look at these numbers , it is easy to understand that the biggest challenge we had to face was to deal with such a complex organisation and build a global governance structure capable of ensuring that such volume of activity is carried out in line with all relevant laws and regulations in all jurisdictions and always in the best interest of our customers .”
How has your career progressed over the years , ie from where you started to your present role ?
“ I started my career back in 1995 in Turin ( Italy ) as a consultant , advising banks on how to use and price derivatives . This is when derivatives were nearly a mystery for most professional investors , at least in Italy . It was my consultancy job that brought me for a few months to the south of Italy to Banca del Salento , at the time one of the most active private banks in the trading arena . A year later , I became a futures and options trader in that bank . Since then , I held different trading roles , moving across different products and markets , trading equities , fixed income , credit derivatives , commodities , hedge funds and FX , so pretty much everything . In 1999 , I moved to Ireland as Head of Trading , with the wider mandate to set-up a proprietary trading operation for the bank . That was my first managerial role . The company was very successful and in the following years , as we experienced significant growth both in assets and profitability , I took-up increasing responsibilities and roles , moving to the position of Chief Investment Officer first and then , in 2002 , becoming Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director . In 2007 , I finally moved to Pioneer , with the mandate of developing a global trading infrastructure .”
Have you always worked within trading and was this something you had always wanted to do ?
“ No . It is just the opposite . Financial markets , and trading in particular , was something that never really attracted my interest .
In school , I loved literature , poetry , arts and languages and after high school , I wanted to become a diplomat . I could speak many languages and I loved travelling around the world , so that seemed to me the dream job that could tick all the boxes .
Unfortunately , getting access to those roles is very difficult and eventually I did not make it , so I looked for an alternative career . When I look back now , I am so happy it went that way . Along my career , I had to face sides of my character that are not exactly in line with the role of a diplomat and I am lucky to have met so many amazing people and mentors over the years who have guided me throughout my career , to whom I am heartily grateful . I believe that there is always a reason , although unknown to us , why something happens . So , although this was not the
22 www . buysideintel . com Spring 2018