Robin Powell is a journalist, investor advocate, financial educator and content consultant.  He is Head of Client Education at RockWealth, as well as Editor of The Evidence Based Investor, and executive director of Regis Media and Ember. He is a frequent commentator on investment management and behavioural finance,  often probing the purported value added by active managers and advocating for better transparency and investor education.

Debbie Cunningham is Chief Investment Officer of Global Liquidity Markets at Federated Hermes and has been a portfolio manager for all government and prime liquidity products since 1990.  She previously was Director and President of the CFA Society of Pittsburgh and sits on the board of Robert Morris University, Treasury Market Practices Group and Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation

Welcome back to the Fiftyfaces Podcast where we are delighted to bring you Series 3 of 2022, which features critical thinkers from all walks of life. We hear about the value added of active management, the robustness of sustainable investing terminology, the role of politics in promoting inclusion and economic empowerment and the opportunity in Africa. 

Susan Martin is MD of Greenstone Consulting, a change and transition management firm. After a long career in the public sector, culminating in a CEO role at a financial services business, she now holds a number of director roles and works as an executive coach.

A committed change agent shares her secrets as to how to successfully execute change at a corporate level and her insights now as a coach and a director.

Amanda Pullinger is Chief Executive of 100 Women in Finance, where she leads a staff team and provides direction to 500 volunteer practitioners globally. 100 Women in Finance is focused on empowering women in the finance industry and inspiring the next generation of pre-career young women and has over 20,000 registered members globally. She previously held a series of roles in asset management and is a member of BAFTA and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

A discussion of multiple careers and pivots, and the central mission of 100 Women in Finance today.

Elois Joseph is co-founder of the Greenwood project, which is an organization that connects Black and LatinX students with career opportunities in financial services and fintech. She previously held a series of roles in investment banks and other financial service firms, mainly in the trading support and compliance divisions.

An uplifting story of opportunity that sprung from a childhood on Chicago’s West Side and the inspiration behind the Greenwood Project and how it provides social capital down the line to future generations.

Johara Farhadieh is Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer of The Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI), in which she oversees a $20 bn defined benefit fund and a $5 bn dollar defined contribution plan with over 150,000 beneficiaries. She has been at ISBI for over 13 years, and prior to that was a financial analyst. She was named an All-Star Chief Investment Officer by Trusted Insight and ISBI was ranked number one in private equity returns among public pension funds in 2020 by the American Investment Council.

A story about resilience and a refusal to accept “no” for an answer when it comes to building diversity in an institutional portfolio.

David Vafai is Chief Executive Officer at bfinance International Limited, an investment consulting and advisory firm that he founded over 20 years ago. The firm is known for its innovative service model, which has shifted some of the traditional structures in investment consulting, manager selection and asset management.

A fascinating tale of hustle, innovation and thinking outside the box that ultimately launched a disruptive investment consulting business model.

Jessica Portis is Head of Member Portfolio Management and Services at TIFF Investment Management. She previously had a long career in investment consulting, first at Summit and then Mercer.

An empowering discussion about the impact that certain programs that create opportunity can have and of the importance of balance between work and family once a career is in full swing.

Henry Tapper is the CEO at Agewage, a firm committed to helping people understand their pension pots, and the Founding Editor of the Pension Playpen, which provides guidance on pensions. He has been involved in financial services for his whole career, and is a high profile advocate for pensions education and transparency.

An enjoyable lookback at the early days of financial advice and the case for why better pension education is so crucial.