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.

Andrien Meyers is a Councilman in the City of London Corporation as well as a Head of Pensions Investments at the London Borough of Sutton and Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. He is a Non Executive Director of Resonance Limited as well as a strategic business advisor to bfinance.

A renaissance man with multiple interests and passions, shares his Indian heritage and his work on the anti-racism taskforce of the City of London, how he honours God and Family as he pursues a fulfilling career.

Pippa Gawley invests in what she describes as deep science hard tech innovations to accelerate the zero-carbon transition. She is the founder and director of Zero Carbon Capital, a fund she founded in April 2019, and holds various non-executive director and mentor roles. She has extensive experience in tech, and, latterly, in climate-tech in particular.

An angel investor opens the kimono as to some of the huge potential of climate tech and how starting her own venture capital fund has come with its own adventures.

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.

Daniele Beasley is a Board Member at Mission Bank, a role she has held since February 2021, and is also a Chief Client Officer in charge of distribution at Apex Financial Advisors. She is a Certified Financial Planner currently focused on using her 30 years experience in the sector to educate and mentor clients in what she terms “her mid-life reset”.

A reminder of the importance of financial literacy at every stage of life, and the courage required to make a mid-career reset.

Darren Johnson is Chief Operating Officer in Listed Equities and Executive Director at Impax Asset Management, where he is responsible for Global Operations, including Portfolio Services, Technology, Change/Project Management and Client Onboarding. He previously worked in a series of accounting and operations roles. Our conversation starts with his upbringing in South London and why he was born with a “silver spoon in his mouth”. We talk about the unlikely role model that emerged for him even at a very young age and how that character sowed the seeds for a career in the corporate world.

An inspiring discussion of how humble beginnings were the silver spoon needed to build a career and inspire change and impact.

Jennifer Ockwell is a Partner at Triple Point Investment Management, based in London, and previously held a series of senior institutional business development roles at large asset management firms. She is an ambassador for the Diversity Project with a specific focus on the neurodiversity work stream and is a passionate advocate for neurodivergent individuals and their improved integration into the workforce. She was named “Investment Woman of the Year” and has been recognized for the impact that she has created in the workplace.

An exploration of the importance of better acceptance of neurodiversity in the workplace, which comes from a personal place for this guest.

Toyin Alalade’s last role was as a Senior Strategy Manager with Royal London. She previously worked in a range of financial and marketing roles at Standard Life and Moody Monday. She recently left Scotland and returned to her home country of Nigeria, and it was a moving Linked In post that she wrote that led me to her.

A story of what drove a return home to Nigeria after over a decade in the UK, most recently Scotland. A bonus episode that also appears on our Nigerian Voices series.