Doug Shaw – Lessons Learned on a Round Trip from Oxford
Doug Shaw

Doug Shaw is Bursar at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, a position he has held for over two years. I got to know him when he was in a COO role within one of Europe’s most successful hedge funds, The Children’s Investment Fund, and in his investment career he has held a series of fascinating roles, both at start up firms and in large firms such as Gartmore and Blackrock. He has spent time in derivatives sales, building a business for charity clients, and in managing hyper-fast growth, and now holds various NED and Investment Committee positions in addition to his Bursar role.

Our conversation starts with Doug’s first trip to Oxford, what he thought he knew when he emerged, and what it turns out he actually did. In his early investment roles he worked with some disruptors, particularly in the hedge fund arena and built businesses run by strong personalities and serving weighty clients. We speak about what he learned from these experiences and the efforts he is making now, in an area (third level learning) that has been upended like never before. He is passionate about making the investment industry more accessible across the socio-economic spectrum and invites students of his Oxford college to observe the investment process as it relates to the endowment.

At every stage of Doug’s career he has brought tremendous energy to his tasks in hand – our discussion of his efforts in terms of diversifying access to investment shows that energy alone may not be enough.

This podcast was made possible by the kind support of Alvine Capital, a specialist advisor and placement boutique, based in London.