Margaux O’Brien is Investment Director at the University of California investment office, based in Oakland, CA. She previously spent over 14 years in the fund of hedge fund area, where she specialized in equity long/short and other equity hedge funds. Prior to that she was an investment consultant.

A joyful discussion with a renowned hedge fund allocator and a reminder of the importance of humility and how this can be a secret weapon in overcoming performance anxiety.

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.

A packed podcast detailing a childhood in Russia and an entry into an investment where hedge fund investing has provided a rich and fertile ground for deep industry dives and a true meritocracy where the sky is the limit in terms of career advancement.

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.

A straight-talking look at the business of building a hedge fund business and the ongoing problem of low representation in the industry.

Elizabeth Burton is CIO at the Hawaii Employee’s Retirement System, a US public pensions plan with over $17 bn in AUM. Before moving to Hawaii in 2018 she was managing director of the quantitative strategies group at Maryland State Retirement and Pension System. Prior to that she ran her own strategy consulting business, and worked as an economist, in portfolio management at a fund of hedge funds and a as fixed income securities trader. Elizabeth is a recipient of the CIO Magazine’s 2019 Innovation Award, and was named as one of CIO’s Forty Under Forty in 2017, and was recently appointed to the Board of CAIA.

An inspiring discussion of a life characterized by sport, competing, a striving for excellence and how this is translated into building a CIO’s team.

Luke Ellis is the Chief Executive Officer of Man Group, and has had a long career in asset management, with a particular focus originally on fixed income and derivatives and later hedge funds. He is vice chair of the Standards Board for Alternative Investments, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Greenhouse Sports, which focuses on developing young people through sport.

A prominent city leader shares his passion for sport, how his interest in numbers originated and his vision for a more diverse asset management industry.

Rahul Moodgal has been described as a “Master Fundraiser” and currently works in a business development for various asset managers, including hedge funds as well as having a rich portfolio career which includes various charities and a role as an angel investor. He describes himself as a Contrarian and a Humanitarian.

Our conversation discusses how to build a business in asset management, the central importance of relationships, resilience and learning to cope with rejection. He mentions the dangers of ESL – ego, speed and leverage, and lessons he has learned from a quarter century of building businesses in asset management.

We are thrilled to be back with Series 2 of the 2024 Fiftyfaces Podcast, which will marry insights from private wealth with insights on strategy, leadership and the investment landscape. Inter-dsiplinary learning is the way of the future, so we are excited to weave together diverse aspects of our investment discipline here. Series 2 is rich with insights around private wealth, 

Jane Buchan is CEO of Martlet Asset Management, based in Newport Beach CA. She was one of the co-founders of Pacific Alternative Asset Management in 2000, which grew to $32 bn n AUM under her leadership. She was been a chair of the Board of CAIA as well as an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and has a number of Board roles.

Tom Raber is the founder and Managing Director of London-based Alvine Capital, a reverse enquiry solutions firm that Tom founded in 2005, with a particular focus on finding solutions for institutional investors in alternative assets.  Originally from Sweden, he previously held leadership roles at Key Asset Management  and a series of investment banks. 

In Series 4 of the Fiftyfaces Podcast of 2023 we gather 10 guests who share a passion for excellence – in very different fields. We hear from a legendary business builder about how he closes the deal while a hedge fund manager shares the humbling effect of market downturns. A CIO reveals her ups and downs and the importance of learning to take risk and having a backup plan, while a serial builder of banks and financial institutions who started her career decades ago tells us what has changed, and what has not and sharpens the focus on what kind of mentors really matter