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

An angel investing expert tells us about the school he has formed to bring angel investors to the table and fill the gaps in their expertise while a guest who studied “game theory” at Uni of Berkeley during the Flower Power era relates it to risk taking and asset allocation and he offers up an antidote to AI, the value of humans in interpreting information. An emerging market debt specialist learned quickly that taking a position was important, while a private wealth manager describes what drives her. Finally we examine the biases inherent in the work we do and ask why to start with the “who” and we even hear from a real life Ted Lasso about the his commitment to a League 2 football team, and how seeing an underdog thrive is the passion that drives him.

So tune in every Tuesday and Thursday from June 27 through early August where we will release a new episode of the series twice a week. If you like what you heard and would like to support our content and our mission to amplify diverse voices, you can support us on Patreon. Just search for Fiftyfaces Podcast or click on the following link: Patreon Link

The guests on Series 4 are:

Tom Raber. who 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.

Christine Reed. who is an analyst on the Fixed Income team at Ninety One covering Latin American sovereign and currency markets. Based in New York, Christine is responsible for all Latin America coverage and supports the alpha decision-making process across investment capabilities. She previously worked at Goldman Sachs Asset and Citigroup.

Howard Fischer, who was the original founder of Basso Capital hedge fund and the co-founder of the Gratitude Railroad initiative in 2013. He is now the Chairman Emeritus of Basso Capital and “Chief Evangelist” at The Gratitude Railroad. The Gratitude Railroad is an initiative that unites 9 “tracks” or different concepts using capitalism to solve a social or environmental problem.

Jennifer Barry, who is an investment advisor at Aaron Wealth Advisors in Chicago. She previously spent over 26 years at Citi, where she held a series of roles and focused on institutional equity sales most recently.

Brian Portnoy, who is the founder of Shaping Wealth, a learning technology platform transforming the human experience of money. It combines science and story to show people how to underwrite a meaningful life, and is the source of the term “funded contentment. He previously led investor education across a series of investment firms and prior to that was head of manager selection at a Chicago-based fund of hedge funds.

Caroline Lovelace, who is CIO and Co-Portfolio Manager of Preserver Partners and previously, founded Rose Hill Park Alternative Asset Managers. Preserver is diverse-owned and Memphis-based and runs a multi-strategy fund that invests through external managers. She has had an extensive career in researching and investing in hedge funds and in promoting emerging private equity and hedge fund investment programs

Paul Guilliotti, who is Assistant Director – Financial Services – at Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. He has had a long career in local government and is a frequent contributor to LGPS debates on pooling.

Colin Robertson, is an independent advisor to two LGPS funds – London Borough of Tower Hamlets and London Borough of Harrow – within a portfolio career that he has had since 2013. He has held the roles of Global Head of Asset Allocation for Aon Hewitt and previously at Mercury Asset Management. He has extensive experience in working with a wide range of institutional clients.

Betsy Cohen, who has built financial businesses for her whole career. She is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Cohen Circle, a growth stage investment firm focused on the fintech and impact spaces. She was previously CEO at The Bancorp Bank, which she founded in 2000 and previously worked at Jefferson Bank for 26 years. She sits on numerous boards and has received several awards being named a Forbes 2022 Most Powerful Self-Made Woman, 25 outstanding women bankers and many more

Andy Ayim, MBE who is an investor and founder, who now also runs an Angel Investing School designed to “teach people how to invest small tickets in start-ups effortlessly. He has run the Angel Investing School since January 2020, and is a venture partner and board member of numerous technology companies. Passionate about financial education and entrepreneurship, he has held been entrepreneur in residence at accelerators such as Entrepreneur First, and OneTech and spent time as Managing Director at the London Accelerator Backstage Capital, which focuses on supporting underrepresented founders. He was awarded the MBE in 2020 for services to diversity in technology.