Fiftyfaces Focus - Intersections: Recent Episodes
Aoifinn Devitt
This podcast series started as a special "capsule" focused on the 2021 Provost Election at Trinity College Dublin, which saw Linda Doyle elected as the first female provost in the institution's 429 year history.
Inspired by Linda's focus on the intersection of Engineering and the Arts, we have curated a series of compelling podcasts with individuals who transcend traditional subject matter barriers. These people #choosetochallenge every day and listening to them will force you too to challenge your assumptions and see the enormous potential when we think outside the box and let ideas be cross-fertilized.
Paul Guilliotti is Assistant Director – Financial Services – at Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. He has had a long career in local government and is a frequent participant in discussions around leveling up and LGPS pooling. Our conversation starts with Paul’s childhood where he spent some time in Zambia during his early school years. We speak about any take-aways from that time and then dig into the origins of his unusual name a little.
We then trace his long years of service in public service, and how he ended up in a pension fund role and the investment beliefs that he developed over the years.
We then cycle through many topics, including leveling up, local investing, the origins and success of local government pooling and the challenges facing pension plans such as his today. We talk about managing a funding level that is now over 100% and Paul’s interest in getting ahead of the pools when it comes to renewable energy investment. We speak also about a certain lack of diversity in the investment industry particularly as it relates to socio-economic diversity and mobility.
The last part of our discussion is dedicated to Paul’s side passion which is for football and we learn that he is a hugely devoted volunteer to a League 2 football team, Sutton United. Paul does a range of different roles for that team and it is now gaining traction although has not yet attracted the Hollywood star wattage of Wrexham. While we hope that this Fiftyfaces Podcast can achieve that, we are not, at this stage certain it can go quite that far – but it is a start.
This podcast is part of a special collaboration with Crispin Derby Limited.
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 had had since 2013. He previously held the role of Global Head of Asset Allocation for Aon Hewitt and has Head of Global Strategy at Threadneedle Investments and has extensive experience in working with a wide range of institutional clients.
In this podcast we go on a journey from Scotland to the University of California – Berkeley around the end of the Flower Power era. It was there that Colin studied for a year and focused on Game Theory, a theory that he likens to risk management. Colin describes the evolution of his investment beliefs and how they started with a strongly technical focus but evolved to incorporate more behavioural aspects.
We cycle through the various roles that Colin has had, in which he spent time working on equity investments, fixed income investments, multi-strategy products and ultimately asset allocation and independent advisory work. We examine what it is to be an independent advisor and the level of challenge that is appropriate. We further examine what it is that makes a good board director.
Returning the issue of behaviour we examine what it is that makes people lose some of their over-confidence and arrogance in the investment arena over time. Colin discusses how the role of interpreting the mass of data we have out there is more important than ever, and reflects on the satisfaction he had of being allowed to innovate and build something new in his career.
This podcast is part of a special collaboration with Crispin Derby Limited.
Professor Brian Devitt is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Professor of Orthopaedics and Surgical Biomechanics at Dublin City University. He studied medicine at University College Dublin and has a particular focus on the knee. He is also my brother and given that he has spent that last 8 years in Melbourne, Australia and we have only seen eachother a handful of times in this period, I am excited to sit down with him and touch base on his medical career and outlook.
We start with what motivated Brian to study medicine, which was a continuation of a family tradition, and how he came to orthopaedics as a speciality. We spend some time on what excites him most about this area today - the massive advances in surgical techniques, the integration of surgical interventions with other lifestyle changes and advances that are making a massive change to the quality of lives of a population that is living longer.
We examine then the fusion of medicine and sport, given that sport, and rugby in particular, is another one of Brian's passions and we ask what techniques in sports rehabilitation can be applied to the general population. We move then to the issue of medical training and assess the four different jurisdictions in which Brian has practiced medicine - Canada, the USA, Australia and Ireland. We look at how the approaches to training and practice compare and ask what is best practice in each place.
Finally we turn to reflections - on the surprising fulfillment of blending academic work with surgery, on the importance of patient communication and on the need for restraint when intervening in a surgical way. We cite influential figures as well as words of wisdom and overall the importance of emotional intelligence as a way to "get on" and succeed in medicine.
This episode is being released as a bonus episode in advance of a dedicated "Inspiring People in Medicine and Science" later this year.
Eoin Murray is Head of Investment at the international business of Federated Hermes. He has had a long career in investment management, spending time as a hedge fund manager and a quantitative equity specialist. He recently obtained a certificate in energy innovation and emerging technologies and is a passionate advocate for sustainable investing, greater awareness of climate change and in driving change in the investment industry towards these goals. He also has a diploma in specialist rescue which includes Swift Water Rescue, Powered Boat Rescue, Water Incident Management, & Rope Rescue via Outreach Rescue. It is these unusual intersections that we discuss in this podcast, which is also included in the Fiftyfaces Focus Intersections Series.
Our conversations starts with Eoin's proud Glaswegian routes, and how he stumbled into a career in investing and finance almost by accident. We learn about his passion for quantitative methods and what prompted him to start his own firm in 2008 - which he admits did not have the best timing. We cycle through his investment interests to his current focus on sustainable investing, pushing for greater awareness of climate change and the integration of climate change resilience into portfolios, as well as the drive for positive impact.
We then turn to a fascinating parallel interest of Eoin's which is specialist rescue, and discuss how this interest originated and what lessons it has taught him for life as well as his career. He recounts some of the highs and lows of this emotionally charged pursuit, the long hours of training and skill maintenance and why he feels so passionately about it. I hope you enjoy this refreshing conversation with a professional committed to lifelong learning and pushing boundaries.
In this episode of the Intersections Podcast, hosted by Gaëlle Beltran-Grémaud, an INSEAD classmate now based in Philadelphia, we listen to the story of Minh Tsai the co-founder and CEO of Hodo Foods. Minh shares how he arrived from Vietnam to the US as a child, speaking no English; and that with luck, the support of one woman and hard work, he went on to study at Columbia University. After a stint in investment banking and management consulting, he took the risk to follow his passion for food and started Hodo to bring the tofu he grew up with in Vietnam to the US. Initially only available at the San Francisco Terminal Farmer's Market, Hodo products are now sold in numerous supermarkets across the US as well as at Chipotle.
Minh reflects on the highs and lows of his experience starting and leading Hodo, acknowledging that his success is grounded in his hard work and the culture he built in his company. By truly focusing on his employees, fostering honest conversations and being vulnerable, he has been able to face some of the toughest challenges any CEO can face. "Bringing people along" is how he operates and pays forward what he received early in his career. For more information about Hodo, please visit www.hodofoods.com
Robert Finkel has had an over 30 year career in investing and provided capital and support to over 40 companies through equity and investment funds under the firm Prism. He wrote the book The Masters of Private Equity and Venture Capital featuring 10 of the US’s most notable venture capital and private equity investor.
When I met Robert he was experimenting late into the night with his botanic craft brew at home, and in 2014 he launched a botanic craft brew under the name Forbidden Root in Chicago, and opened restaurant/brewery operations in Chicago and Columbus OH. Now assuming the title of Rootmaster, he combines this with his investment career.
Our discussion covers Robert's stunningly early instincts for business and how he had the chutzpah to create a jewellery business at the tender age of 11. We trace his route into investing and then private equity and the trials and tribulations of running his own firm and the lessons learned from some of the "Masters" of the trade. It was a corporate event that sowed the seeds for him being a "Master" in his own right - late nights spent experimenting with beer recipes - with natural root flavors and combinations led to a micro-brewing business and and entry into the strangely collegial world of micro-brewers. From his first convention, where his business attire stood out strongly, he began to join this tribe as Rootmaster of the Forbidden Root beer brand and he has now launched restaurant/brewery operations to provide a fully immersive experience that pairs food with the brews.
Robert has not left his "roots" behind though - the skills learned in private equity and investing gave hims some streetsmarts which have aided his passage through the notoriously volatile restaurant business. Join us to sample a taste of his adventure.
Find out more about Forbidden Root at : http://www.forbiddenroot.com/
Jasmine Pradissitto is a British artist, academic, scientist, speaker and environmentalist who has a Ph.D. in physics from UCL and has studied art at Goldsmith’s and London Met. Her critical practice spans painting and sculpture and she is the only artist in the world licensed to use NOXTEKTM , a newly developed sustainable material that absorbs nitrogen dioxide (NOx) pollution from the air. Jasmine is represented by Gillian Jason Gallery in London, and has exhibited worldwide including most recently two public art projects for the Horniman Museum in London and the Camden People’s Theatre for Euston Town Green Bid, a Mayor of London environmental initiative.
Our discussion discusses how once Jasmine learned that she was "allowed" to use her physics background to make art, this unleashed a wave of creativity, particularly around her sculptures, which are designed not only to create awareness of space but also to inspire awareness of the air that we breathe and the blight of urban air pollution.
Jasmine also has a consultancy that delivers creative STEAM subjects to children and teachers. We talk about what STEAM really means, and how it exists all around us in so much of what we do. We also examine the nature of constraints, and how they foster true creativity, and we move to discuss what this means in a post-Covid environment.
Jasmine believes that Artists and Art have an enormous responsibility in presenting a different perspective on the 21st Century Renaissance - we talk about what that means and the creativity that lies inside all of us.
The image shows Jasmine with ‘Flower Girl’ at The Horniman Museum in London which is a sculpture in NOx absorbing geopolymer NoxTek. Image by Samer Moukarzel Photography
There is more information about Jasmine and her work on the following links:
https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/helping-bees-thrive-on-the-south-circular/
http://www.pradissitto.com/
Insta: Jasmine_Pradissitto
Jane Ohlmeyer is the Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin and Chair of the Irish Research Council.
In this conversation we discuss her love of history, its richness, and complexity and how sometimes we are forced to re-think aspects of it, bearing in mind the voices that have been lost throughout time. We speak about the role of women in history, figures who have inspired Jane throughout her career and words of wisdom that they have passed on.
Our discussion then turns to Jane's manifesto for the provost election and discuss the kind of change that she claims we need, and what empowering Trinity means to her. She speaks about her desire to defend academic freedom and intellectual autonomy and the importance of developing a climate-proof and future-proof curriculum. There is more information on Jane's campaign at https://www.janeohlmeyer.ie/
This podcast is part of a three part series showcasing the three candidates for the Provost role, with the election to be held in April 2021. It is produced by Fiftyfaces Productions Limited with the generous support of DLA Piper Ireland and Hermes Fund Managers Ireland Limited.
Linda Doyle is Professor of Engineering and the Arts at Trinity College Dublin and a Fellow of the College. Her research focuses on themes of telecommunications and creative arts practices.
in this podcast we speak about her research in engineering and the arts and what sits at the fusion of these two disciplines. We discuss her path into the area and move to analyse the challenges of diversity in STEM classes in particular, and what can be done to improve it.
We then turn to Linda's manifesto for change within TCD, we discuss her quest to "re--imagine" the institution, and how this would involve re-energizing the democracy within TCD and what this means. Linda describes her vision of instilling deep-rooted fairness into all processes especially in the realm of promotion reform, and defines what she means by a climate-first Trinity. We finish by discussing Linda's vision of leadership as service rather than power.
You can read more about Linda's manifesto on: https://lindadoyle.ie/
This podcast is part of a three part series showcasing the three candidates for the Provost role at TCD, with the election to be held in April 2021. It is produced by Fiftyfaces Productions Limited with the generous support of DLA Piper Ireland and Hermes Fund Managers Ireland Limited.
Linda Hogan, is Chair of Ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin and a Fellow of the College. Her research focuses on themes of ethics and religion and she was vice provost of the College from 2011 to 2016.
In this discussion we start with Linda's background and entry into the field of ecumenics and why the interdisciplinary approach appealed to her. We discuss her vision for a post-pandemic institution and how putting people at its core will be vital. She speaks in particular about her concept of ethical leadership and how she would apply this to issues as varied as sustainability to climate change to pandemic management. We revisit a concept of people management and leadership that she has discussed before - her tendency to "find the light" or "energy source" in an organization and build around that.
Finally we discuss key people in her life who have influenced her career journey and words of wisdom that she wishes to pass on. See more details on her campaign at https://www.lindahogan.ie/.
This podcast is part of a three part series showcasing the three candidates for the Provost role, with the election to be held in April 2021. It is produced by Fiftyfaces Productions Limited with the generous support of DLA Piper Ireland and Hermes Fund Managers Ireland Limited.
This special FiftyFaces Focus series showcases the three candidates for the upcoming provost election at Trinity College Dublin, due to be held in April 2021. The Provost is the Chief Officer of the university responsible to the Board and ultimately to the State for the performance of the university. This historic election will see the first female provost in the institutions 429 year history.
We are delighted to present interviews with each of the three candidates, in this very special series, which we are launching to coincide with International Women’s Day.
First we hear from Linda Hogan, Chair of Ecumenics at Trinity College who shares her vision for a post-pandemic institution.
We then hear from Linda Doyle, who is Professor of Engineering and the Arts at Trinity College Dublin and a Fellow of the College. She draws upon her roots in engineering and the arts to re-imagine the institution.
We then turn to Jane Ohlmeyer, who is the Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin and Chair of the Irish Research Council. She discusses her vision for change that embraces academic freedom and a climate proof and future proof curriculum.
Please refer to the Trinity College website for further information on the provost election as well as links to the campaign page of each of the candidates. While the electorate is a limited one, made up primarily of full-time members of academic staff, the vision and plans of the future provost - who will hold her position for 10 years - have implications for the entire student body, alumni and the academic community as a whole.
We wish to thank DLA Piper Ireland and Hermes Fund ManagersIreland Limited for providing production support to this series. All views expressed are personal to the participants.