[ B U Y- S I D E C O V E R | M I C H A E L R O B E R T S ]
“ I was very fortunate and very lucky in a lot of ways I think, but I would say that you also have to put yourself in a position to be lucky through your own focus and personal development.”
adapt as markets don ' t stand still.”
Roberts became leader of Columbia Threadneedle Investments’ high yield desk in 2022, and took up the position of head of fixed income trading, North America, in 2024.
When it comes to the dynamics which imbues his team and the expertise which carry the most weight across his desk, Roberts is quick to highlight the importance of accountability and taking ownership of one’ s own work.
“ You must remember that you ' re your own brand. As you go through this career journey you have to proactively work to represent your brand well and focus on what you ' re doing in your current role.”
He further expands:“ The fact is we come into work every day in this highly competitive environment and the bottom line is that we ' re trying to get the best returns for our clients- and that involves collaboration among the traders, the portfolio managers, and the analysts.
“ In essence we want a real team player with a maths background. Maybe most important, is someone who is intellectually curious and genuinely enjoys the markets.”
Of course, a stellar career doesn’ t happen by chance – with
16 // TheTRADE // Q1 2026 success gleaned from real, invaluable experiences. The TRADE sits down with Roberts to explore the dynamics behind his success and the key factors which have shaped his journey thus far.
Congratulations on being Trader of the Year! Tell us about your journey to the desk, how did you get into the world of trading? My journey into trading was indirect and I started in a role at a sales and marketing firm after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. However, it didn ' t take me long to realise that the margins were fairly thin in that business. Observing peers who had entered financial services, I became interested in the opportunities the industry offered.
I began looking for a career in financial services at a time just prior to the dot-com technology boom. American Express was hiring brokerage associates to trade equities for their advisors and so I was able to get my foot in the door there- I did that for a couple years but I always knew I wanted to get more on the investment side.
After a few years in brokerage I became a municipal bond portfolio analyst, working with PMs creating risk reports, portfolio attribution, and marketing materials, and generally just working closely with the portfolio managers and seeing how portfolios are built from the ground floor. Following that I moved over to the high yield
“ The evolution of corporate credit trading specifically has definitely evolved. If you go back to the early 2000s when TRACE was first implemented [...] It really tightened up the bid ask spread and has been very beneficial for the buy-side.”
group a few years later which turned out to be a very pivotal part of my career! I’ ve spent the last 20 years within that group.
In high yield I held a similar role as a municipal bond analyst, working with the lead portfolio manager, and from there became an associate