Pilar Gomez-Bravo is Co-Chief Investment Officer fixed income and portfolio manager at MFS Investment Management. She was previously a managing director at Neuberger Berman, and prior to that, spent a significant amount of her career at Lehman Brothers.

Our conversation starts with Pilar’s childhood which saw her move around a lot with her family – this forced an adaptability and resilience that served her well when her career in finance took many unexpected turns. Market and segment volatility played a notable supporting role in Pilar’s early career, most particularly with a massive setback when Lehman Brothers collapsed and again when she joined a start-up hedge fund for a short period of time.

MFS represented another change of direction, but ended up as a very fertile one, as she steadily progressed through the ranks there until ultimately co-leading the fixed income function in her current role. We discuss what makes an employer a positive influence, and how a nurturing work setting can bring out the best in teams.

Finally we reflect on what it is to have a full life, and the importance of staying diversified in life as well as in work.

Series 5 of 2025 is kindly sponsored by Diamond Hill. Diamond Hill invests on behalf of clients through a shared commitment to its valuation-driven investment principles, long-term perspective, capacity discipline and client alignment. An independent active asset manager with significant employee ownership, Diamond Hill’s investment strategies include differentiated US and non-US equity, alternative long-short equity and fixed income.