A Meeting of the Minds that Propels Finance Forward

The race toward net-zero carbon emissions represents one of the greatest investment opportunities of our time. This episode will explore:

• Trends and risks that climate change represents to portfolios
• The role of policy around incentives, disclosure, transparency, and measurement
• How investors can be part of driving meaningful change

Decentralized finance (DeFi) and its building blocks—blockchain and cryptocurrencies—are driving dramatic change in finance and the investment industry. In this episode, the next generation of finance leaders share their outlook for blockchain-based finance and investment management. You will hear about:

• The latest developments in this rapidly changing space that is democratizing finance
• The convergence of DeFi and investment management
• What investment professionals will need to know to invest smarter

Mona El Isa
CEO, Avantgarde Finance

Vitalik Buterin
Founder and CEO, Ethereum

Eelco Fiole, CFA
MODERATOR
Managing Partner, Alpha Governance Partners

More than 30 years after publishing Liar’s Poker, Michael Lewis continues to delight his readers by providing unusual and unexpected insights through his characters and capturing the most important narratives of our time. In this engaging conversation, we’ll:

• Discuss Lewis’s observations and lessons learned from his writing career
• Take a deeper dive into how Lewis uncovered significant risks throughout our world and exposed the systems that failed us

In this year of a pandemic, what can we learn from Lewis’s narratives about preparing for the next crisis, and how can finance play a role in solving world problems?

Michael Lewis
Best-Selling Author of The Fifth Risk, Moneyball, The Blind Side, and The Big Short

Investing for impact represents tremendous opportunity, but it is not without its challenges. In this episode, we’ll explore:

• The fluid environmental, social, and governance (ESG) landscape and the need for standardization and measurement
• How you can help implement ESG analysis for your organization and clients

George Serafeim
Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration and Faculty Chair of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Project, Harvard Business School

Linda Zhang
CEO, Purview Investments

Is your approach to investment analysis ready for the digital economy? Take a lesson from Wirecard, frequently referred to as the “Enron of Germany.” In this episode, James H. Freis Jr., CFA, will share:

• His experience in joining the company and promptly exposing the massive fraud; followed by restructuring and eventual wind down
• Lessons for investors and regulators on the importance of assessing corporate governance and culture
• Repercussions of Wirecard for the approach to investment analysis in the rapidly evolving fintech space

James H. Freis, Jr., CFA
Founder, Market Integrity Solutions LLC
Former CEO, Wirecard

Paul Andrews
MODERATOR
Managing Director of Research, Advocacy, and Standards, CFA Institute

Why are we so often trapped in a cycle of reaction—putting out fires, responding to emergencies—when the problems we’re reacting to could have been prevented? In this episode, you will:

• Hear stories of leaders who have escaped this cycle by using data to identify problems before they happen
• Learn techniques to be proactive, not reactive, and establish processes that have power and permanence

Dan Heath
Innovative Business Thought Leader and New York Times Best-Selling Author

Join some of the world’s most renowned global investors as they discuss recent unprecedented monetary and fiscal policy actions used by central banks and governments. They’ll debate:

• How quickly and efficiently the world economy can recover from the pandemic
• Valuation and short- and long-term risks to markets
• The effects of policy on interest rates, currencies, and inflation, and capital allocation strategies for staying afloat in this brave new world

Rob Arnott
Partner, Founder, and Chairman of the Board, Research Affiliates

Louis-Vincent Gave
CEO, Gavekal

Brian D. Singer, CFA
MODERATOR
Partner, Head of Dynamic Allocation Strategies Team, William Blair

Inclusion and diversity are top of mind for just about every organization, but simply talking about these topics is not enough. In this episode, we will share:

• Stories from leaders who have found new ways to source and recruit diverse talent, as well as establish programs to help employees stay connected and continue to advance their careers
• How asset owners think about diverse manager selection and how they have adapted their due diligence practices for inclusivity

Jasmine N. Richards, CFA
Head of Diverse Manager Research, Cambridge Associates

Shundrawn  A. Thomas
President, Northern Trust Asset Management

Whether you want to advance your career or land your first role, you’re navigating these goals in a changed world. In this episode, we will discuss practical advice to help you excel in today’s workplace, including how to:

• Build and sustain your personal brand
• Build your network
• Increase your influence to propel your career

Ravin Jesusthasan, CFA
Futurist and Author on the Future of Work, Automation, and Human Capital

Jodi Glickman
CEO and Founder, Great on the Job

Leading researchers are using machine learning (ML) and other artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to solve some of the biggest problems in finance and the world. In this episode, you will:

• Gain new perspectives on how these technologies are being applied in asset management to improve investment decision making, risk management, and investment outcomes
• See how business problems can be transformed into prediction problems for ML to solve
• Walk away with new ideas about how technology can join forces with finance for the benefit of society