Eugene O’Callaghan is a business and investment advisor based in Dublin, where he advises a range of asset managers and sovereign wealth funds on strategic initiatives. He was formerly director of the Irish Strategic Investment Fund and prior to that Director of the National Pensions Reserve Fund of Ireland. He started his career as an accountant. 

Machel Allen is President and Chief Investment Officer of Metis Global Partners, a firm she founded in November 2013. The firm, based in San Diego, is focused on global equity investment across the size spectrum from micro-cap to large cap. She previously spent time as an equity and research analyst at a range of asset management firms.

Machel Allen has never been afraid to upset a few apple carts. She tells us how the resilience gained over her career has contributed to her staying power as the founder of her own firm.

Apurva Schwartz is a portfolio specialist at Harding Loevner LP. She was previously a principal at Rocaton Investment Advisors, where she was a senior member of the investment team. Prior to that she held a series of roles in equity analysis and investing. Our conversation starts with her serendipitous start in finance and how that experience of picking stocks drove her to launch her own hedge fund. Her interest then expanded to analyzing managers themselves and a career in investment consulting. This came full circle then when she chose her next move, which was back into the investment management field.

We have brought you this story to showcase an extraordinary physical challenge – the world’s toughest row – that one of our own – investment manager Laura Langton – is about to embark upon. We examine what motivates a person to take on something so extreme and so obviously strenuous and physically taxing. We look at the preparation and mental journey that is involved, and ask what it teaches her and how she brings these learnings into the workplace.

Laura Langton an investment manager at JM Finn. She was previously involved in developing partnerships and revenue streams in financial services. Our conversation starts with her very sporty upbringing in the idyllic Cotswolds. Her mother was a jockey and Laura found rowing had its own rich history within her family.

Julia Kwamya is an associate at Tikehau Capital, the global alternative asset manager, based in NYC.  She has trained as an actor, musician and voiceover artist and has released her first album “Feel Good about Feeling Bad”.  We are featuring songs from this album on this entire Series 5 of 2023.  She has been Creator in Residence at Kickstarter, as well as a casting assistant among other roles in the entertainment industry.  She studied economics at Pepperdine University.

Francois Bourdon is Managing Partner of Nordis Capital, based in Montreal. He is also Managing Partner in Sustainable Market Strategies, an independent investment strategy research service tracking global developments in ESG/impact-investing worldwide.  He was formerly Chief Investment Officer at Fiera Capital.  

Paula Horn is Chief Investment Officer of the public securities group of Brookfield Asset Management. She has had an extensive career in investing, which has spanned investment grade credit, credit derivatives and other public investing. She holds a number of investment committee and Trustee roles.