The TRADE 61 - Q3 2019 | Page 31

[ C O V E R S T O R Y | M AT T M C L O U G H L I N ] “Liontrust hires smart people and gives them responsibility. We give people the freedom to create but want to see results in return." At the time of Lehman’s demise and the onset of the global credit crisis, McLoughlin was a multi-asset trader for renowned hedge fund RAB Capital, having joined the firm a year earlier from AIG where he man- aged several credit funds. RAB Capital was hit hard by the downturn and saw its AuM shrink drastically over the next year, although McLoughlin also points to a lack of liquidity and prudent hedging as other factors. Despite the turmoil, he stayed with RAB for six years and retains a number of important lessons learned and fond memories of that time: “Nearly everyone in the City, whoever I meet, they always have a tale to tell about RAB – broker, sell-side, buy-side, everyone does, but I think if truth be told, everyone wanted to work there at the time,,” he says. “It was really good fun. A lot of young, smart people working together and it had very successful periods, but markets don’t just go up in straight lines and no-one stays at the top forever.” Upon leaving the firm in early 2013, McLoughlin took the opportunity to travel before returning to work with Legal & General Investment Management in 2014 as an equities and derivatives trader, where he gained experience of trading much larger volumes, before taking the call to join up with Liontrust a year later. One of the defining traits of the firm he says is that people are handed responsibility and expected to flourish, with McLoughlin him- self always pushing for continuous improvements from those around him, but that’s not to say that any- one joining the firm can expect to be given an easy ride of things. “Liontrust hires smart people and gives them responsibility. We give people the freedom to create but want to see results in return." “People thrive on that, in my opinion, and I really have, as have my team. I’m a believer that people won’t shy away from responsibility and given the opportunity they can achieve great things.” Issue 61 // TheTradeNews.com // 31