Buy-side Perspectives Issue 13 | Page 23

A$2.6t, probably the third largest pool in the world. And this is real money, not a government promise of a pension, controlled by each employee as to where and who manages it. With this growth, local managers have expanded their offerings into locally managed regional and global products. The growth has been enormous and with the depth of talent here I think this bodes well for Australia to assume a more prominent asset management role in the region. Hopefully I’m around to see it flourish." Generally, what are the challenges of working on the buy-side? "Expectation management, especially if you’re remote from your PM. It helps to have good lines of communication, both ways, so a mutually satisfactory outcome can be achieved." "Focus on your current job. If you do that well and you’re in a good firm, career progression will take off itself" Have fun. Our jobs can be quite stressful but you don’t have to be Mr/Ms Serious all the time. A bit of humour at appropriate times does wonders to diffuse a situation." What are your top 3 tips to a successful career in buy side trading? "Focus on your current job. If you do that well and you’re in a good firm, career progression will take off itself. Do you have any interests outside of work to help counteract the potential challenges associated with being Head of Australia and Japan Equity trading at T. Rowe Price? Be honest, be fair. We’re all human and we all make mistakes. It’s how we go about addressing them that makes or breaks reputations. Summer 2018 www.buysideintel.com "I have diverse interests. I like to find things that completely take my mind off work. Being somewhat analytical I like pulling things apart and putting them back together again to see how they work, hopefully with no leftover parts. I enjoy the challenge of keeping things running; I have my grandfather’s lawn mower from 1973 and a tricked-up 2006 desktop computer, both still humming along. On longer breaks I go help out on a friend’s cattle farm 300km from Sydney. I like driving and take my car out for track days. I enjoy cooking too." 23