Elina Kovaleva, who is head of research at Velox Capital Partners, an equity long/short market neutral hedge fund firm based in London, a position she has held for 3 years. She previously held a number of research and analyst roles, at investment banks and hedge funds. Our conversation starts with Elina’s upbringing in Russia in the 1990s and her route into finance and centers in particular on why she believes hedge funds, with their merit-based performance culture where results matter, can be a perfect place for women to work and thrive. We dig into some of the unexpected variety and areas of deep satisfaction in stock analysis, and in the increasing integration of ESG in the process. We transition then to a discussion of impact and why it is increasingly integrated with instead of separate from the investment case.  When it comes to life lessons, Elina draws one from chess – which is to be pessimistic about your next move, but optimistic about your ability.  To be kind, and to consider the world your “Everest” – something that can be conquered, if you are up for the challenge. This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Pluscios Capital, a women-owned, WBENC certified investment management firm based in Evanston, IL. With over 60+ years of combined investment management experience, co-founders Constance Teska and Kelly Chesney are committed to the development of bespoke investment solutions on behalf of institutions and intermediaries. In addition to broadly diversified core and catalyst solutions, Pluscios provides hands on product development support and custom solutions with a focus on diversity-led and emerging managers.