Bob Snigaroff, who is President and CIO at Denali Advisors, based in San Diego. The firm is named after Mount Denali, the highest peak in the USA located in Bob’s native Alaska (and the name for the mountain means “High One or Great One”). The firm is classified as a minority run firm due to Bob’s native American heritage and we discuss his upbringing in a fishing village in Kenai Alaska and how this influenced him in both striking out from the area and remembering his roots.

A unique insight into Native American heritage, a childhood in Alaska, and how it informed a career in finance.

Susana Coutinho is a Research Director at MainStreet Partners, a firm that provides investment Advisory and Portfolio Analytics on Sustainable, ESG and Impact investments. She is Portuguese, and has studied and worked in Italy as well as London, and has previously worked as an ESG analyst and in accounting.

An enjoyable journey through a varied career that has arrived at ESG analysis and impact investing.

Jim Maloney is a director at the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association and a director of Beachpoint Capital Management. He was a trustee of the Chicago Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund for over 11 years, including 1.5 years as interim chief investment officer. He retired from the Chicago Police in 2017, after 35 years of service, which saw him rise to the rank of Lieutenant. Jim has been active as an advocate for public fund investors for over a decade and is an active participant in the institutional investor conference circuit.

A reflection of a lifetime dedicated to public service, the highs and lows that he recalls from that and a discussion of what he loves about Chicago.

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.

Dr. Ylva Baeckstrom is a lecturer and researcher in finance at King’s College Business School in London, where she has a particular interest in behavioural finance, investment decision making and investment advice, with a special interest in gender and the interplay between advisors and their clients.

A specialist in gender equality and finance shares insights from her Ted talk and how things like press coverage confirm biases and impeded visibility for women and underrepresented groups.

Rendel Solomon, who recently worked in a Chicago-based private equity firm, is a leading voice for diversity in finance. He is the founder of the One Stock One Future, an initiative which aims to turn one million youth into public company shareholders. He serves on the Board of NASP and West Side Forward, and he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Latin School, which he himself attended.

A discussion of a remarkable journey into finance, and a pivot to ensure better equity and representation for all.

Tom Soto is Founder and Managing Partner at Diverse Communities Impact Fund, a Los Angeles based private equity fund focused on making impactful investments in local communities, which he founded in 2018. He has had a long career in asset management, and an expansive portfolio of board and committee roles, with a particular focus on raising the profile of the American Latino community.

A legend in the Latino community in LA, Tom Soto talks lovingly about his heritage and the state of representation of Latinos in the profession today.