We do not have quants at our Fixed
Income trading desk but we have a
dedicated Fixed Income quant team
within our global trading team. They
help us get a much more bespoke
quantitative approach in our trading
and traders are partnering with both
PM’s and data architects on various
projects. This is not only regarding the
development of tools but also helping
to estimate liquidity costs, evaluation
of new (and existing) instruments
Do you think that diversity with a
gender balance within buy-side
trading desks makes a difference?
Both yes and no. In the Nordics we have
started to see much more women in
the financial industry but much less on
the management level, which I think is
a shame. In my view, it makes a huge
difference to have a gender balance in
the management team, which should
inspire and motivate you. However, I am
Tina at the 11 th ATF Fixed Income London
and upcoming market changes and
developments.
While we have done a huge job
internally on our use of high- low-
and no-touch execution tools and
channels (including Portfolio Trading)
it is also important that our PM’s are
comfortable with the new processes,
methods and criterias we are using
when we execute trades. The PM’s have
also systemised their processes and
are in the forefront of the investment
strategies.
TCA systems would first and foremost
need to become more granular to
deliver useful information for the
trading desk but I do predict that
Machine Learing techniques will one
day be used to deliver better pre-trade
estimations of expected transaction
costs.
28
positive business outcome derives from
a diverse workforce. Gender diversity
is often mentioned as one of the ways
to enhance fund perfomance in a male
dominated world – so it is important.
I think we have less women in the finance
industry due to the inflexible and long
working hours. Another aspect is the fact
that young people, especially women,
look for a place to work with focus on
substainability. Financing is not cool and
has had / is having a hard time in the
media. The financial crisis and the past
stories about money laundering have
not been supportive for our industry. On
the other hand, ESG is an area which to
a greater extent will appeal to the next
generation, when choosing their future
workplace. It is important to be in the
forefront here.
Which diversity and inclusion activities
do you think are most effective within
Nordea Asset Management? Which
other changes do you think firms
generally need to consider to make
the trading desks a more inclusive and
diverse work place?
It is important to keep in mind that
diversity is not just gender diversity. It
can be religion, culture, nationality, age,
education but also diversity of thoughts
or minds. It is important to have people
with different mindsets in your team
in order to avoid unconscious bias.
People that are able to think more out
of the box often offer huge value to a
team regardless of education, skillset,
experiences etc. Teams who all think alike
and have the same education and skillset
will develop and evolve less. At Nordea Asset Management we
follow the common guidelines from the
Nordea group. We believe in equality and
value diversity. We know that we make
more innovative decisions by getting
a greater variation of perspectives. A
diverse workforce consisting of different
backgrounds, traits, experiences and
ways of thinking increases our creativity
and improves our performance. It builds
a more stable and sustainable business
and brings value to our people and to
our customers. For instance, we have
more than 25 different nationalities with
in the group, and some years ago we
launched an initiative for gender balance
in senior positions, and we strive for both
genders to be represented among the
final three candidates.
Diversity can also be working in an
environment where everyone has the
opportunity to reach their full potential.
Lots of research tells the fact that Becoming more diverse and inclusive is
not a quick fix but a long and continuous
journey. I think flexibility is a key aspect
here, for both men and women, in order
not in favour of gender quotas, as I would
prefer to get a job because of my merits
and not due to my gender.
www.buysideintel.com
Winter/Spring 2020