When did you start your career on the
buy side?
I started as a junior trader in the
beginning of 2008 - right at the start
of the financial crisis. It made for an
eventful initiation into buy-side trading
while learning the ropes under extreme
conditions, but also allowed me to have
a reference point for one of the most
volatile trading environments in our
history.
How has the culture/environment
changed over the years?
Technological advancements in the
equity industry have increased access
to markets and evened the playing field
as well as bringing new participants to
the marketplace. In addition, increased
regulatory scrutiny and the shift of end-
consumer investment styles are driving
That sense of ownership and
accomplishment drives us
forward to think about the next
challenges we may face and how
to best prepare for them
changes in how funds are structured
and accessed. The role of the buy-side
trader is evolving from the model that
it was 10 or 20 years ago because of the
dynamic nature of the market.
On the cultural side, we are seeing
improvement from when I first started.
Certainly, we have more data around
gender and how it impacts recruitment,
pay and promotion, and with that
data comes awareness and tracking
of certain behaviours and patterns. In
Ensure you constantly re-evaluate your
any situation, the first step is to identify
approach to technology and processes,
the problem, in this case the scarcity
and constantly interact with colleagues
of women on the buy-side, which has
internally and industry-wide.
been known for a long time. Now it has
become prioritized because we can
What challenges do you have in your
quantify how widespread the problem
role and how did/do you overcome
is in regards to career progression and
these?
how the lack of diversity negatively
impacts companies. In addition, this
The constant challenge I face is how
open discussion and dialogue helps
to prepare the trade desk and equity
increase the visibility of the issue and
drive change. Women
in buy-side leadership
I am constantly thinking about our
positions can also prioritize
footprint over the next five to ten years
working on these issues
and how I can focus my team's resources
at their individual firms
and increase their physical
business for the constantly evolving
presence in the industry at large to
global equity markets. This includes
ensure they are helping to drive the
adapting to the shifting patterns of
conversation forward.
market participants and ensuring
we are achieving optimal outcomes
What motivates you in your role?
and executions for our funds and our
clients. I am constantly thinking about
That every day is different. When I walk
in the door, I have no idea what is going our footprint over the next five to ten
years and how I can focus my team's
to come down the pipe or what project
resources on continual education
will materialize. I've been fortunate to
and learning about new structures or
be able to work with a high performing
products that could be additive to our
and collaborative equity team that
thrives on change. Being able to build a trading toolkit.
successful equity desk that can handle
Why do you think there are not more
the large quantities and types of equity
women working in buy-side trading
trades that a global institution like
roles?
PIMCO requires, has been incredibly
rewarding. That sense of ownership
I believe that it's due to three main
and accomplishment drives us forward
reasons.
to think about the next challenges
we may face and how to best prepare
1. Women can be more risk-averse
for them. We're always focused on
continuous improvement, whether they than men and are sometimes less
likely to put themselves forward for an
are existing processes or new ones. I
advancement opportunity or a new
would suggest that the key to career
progression is to make sure the learning role if they don't believe they can fulfil
100% of the requirements. Their male
curve is always as steep as possible.
counterparts are often more likely to
raise their hands in this situation.
2. Men tend to have the networking
advantage given the structural make-
up of the industry. Many buy-side roles
are more scarce with longer tenor at
large institutions which usually rely
heavily on recommendations and
word-of-mouth.
3. Although technology has
advanced tremendously in our
industry, the legacy mindset around
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www.buysideintel.com
Spring 2019