LSE Focal Point Podcast: Recent Episodes
LSESU Business and Investment Group
The Focal Point Podcast, founded in 2020 by Daniel Tamary MacLeod with special mention to Seongyun Hong, is the official podcast of the LSESU Business and Investment Group. Weekly episodes featuring industry-changing leaders from across the professional landscape are uploaded to provide exclusive insights and enhance commercial awareness. To find more and summaries of our episodes, visit our LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lse-focal-point!
Join us for another insightful episode of Focal Point, where today we are joined by Sanjit Biswas, CEO of Samsara. Prior to his current role, Sanjit was the co-founder and CEO of the wireless networking company Meraki, which was acquired by Cisco for $1.2 billion in 2012. Sanjit has been recognized as an MIT Technology Review “Innovator Under 35” honoree. He holds a B.S. in Computer Systems Engineering from Stanford and an S.M. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.
Recorded in May, 2024
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Renaud de Lesquen, CEO of Givenchy. Prior to his current role, de Lesquen began his career at Lancôme, a L'Oréal brand. He joined Dior in 2012, taking control of the brand's operations in China. In 2019, he was promoted to CEO of Dior Americas. He is a graduate of ESCP Business School.
Recorded in February, 2024
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Lisa Petrelli, Country Head and Head of Global Markets for Canada at UBS. Before her current role, Lisa started her career at Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and Goldman Sachs as an Equity Trader. She obtained her Bachelor’s at the University of Toronto in Political Science and her Master’s in Political Economy at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Recorded in March, 2024
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Terri Loska, CEO at Dartmouth Partners. Before her current role, Terri has a rich background in recruitment, having joined the Cornell Partnership, a consulting and PE recruitment company out of university. Terri graduated from The Queen’s College, Oxford University with a 2.1 degree in Literae Humaniores.
Recorded in March, 2024
Join us for another fabulous episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Peter Oppenheimer, chief global equity strategist, and head of Macro Research in Europe at Goldman Sachs. Before his current role, Peter worked at HSBC and James Capel. He had a long and successful career in research, having joined Goldman in 2002. Peter is also an LSE alum, having graduated from here in 1985 with a first.
Recorded in March, 2024
Join us for another thought-provoking episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Heather Kennedy Miner, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director at Advent International. She started her career in investment banking at UBS, before starting a nearly two-decade journey at Goldman Sachs. Heather completed her Bachelor’s in Finance at the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, and she is also an LSE alumni. She obtained her MBA at the Stern School of Business at NYU.
Recorded in March, 2024
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Andrew McCaffery, Global CIO, Asset Management at Fidelity International. Throughout his career, he has held roles including Managing Director at UBS, Founding Principal of BlueCrest Capital Management’s Alignment Investors division, and a range of senior roles at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Andrew graduated from The Howard School.
Recorded in March, 2024
Join us for another incredible episode of Focal Point, where today we are joined by Eric Kutcher, Senior Partner and Chief Financial Officer at McKinsey & Company. Prior to his current role, he began his career as a process engineer at Intel. He then joined McKinsey in 1997, amassing over 27 years of experience. Eric holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in engineering from Cornell University.
Recorded in March, 2024
Join us for another superb episode of Focal Point, where today we are joined by Dean Frankle, Managing Director and Partner at BCG. Prior to his current role, Dean began his career at HSBC in management positions spanning London, New York, and Hong Kong. He subsequently earned his MBA at Harvard Business School before joining BCG in 2010. Dean holds a degree in Government and Economics from LSE, graduating in 2004.
Recorded in March, 2024
Join us for an insightful episode at Focal Point with Nadine Mirchandani, Global Deputy Vice Chair, Strategy & Transactions at EY. With 25+ years of experience in strategy and M&A. Nadine has worked extensively in the Americas and Europe, advising companies on their strategy and capital agendas to foster long-term value. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University at Kingston.
Recorded in February, 2024
Join us for an amazing episode at Focal Point with Moritz Kraemer, Chief Economist and Head of Research at LBBW. Formerly Chief Analyst for Sovereign Ratings at S&P Global, Dr. Kraemer is also a Senior Fellow at SOAS University of London and teaches at Goethe-University Frankfurt, CIFE in Nice, and Humboldt University Berlin.
Recorded in February, 2024
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Garry Evans, Chief Strategist for Global Asset Allocation at BCA Research. Garry brings extensive experience from roles such as Managing Director at HSBC and Editor of Euromoney Magazine, supported by academic achievements including a Master's in Asian Studies from Cambridge University and postgraduate studies in economics at Kyoto University.
Recorded in February 2024
Join us for another incredible episode of Focal Point featuring Chip Virnig, Partner at Thoma Bravo's Flagship team. With a background in investment banking at Merrill Lynch, Chip joined Thoma Bravo in 2008. He has been instrumental in developing the firm's infrastructure and cybersecurity practices, leading to one of the largest private equity cybersecurity portfolios. Chip is a Brown University graduate with dual majors in Business Economics and Commerce.
Recorded in February 2024
Join us on Focal Point for an exciting episode featuring Katharina Neureiter, Co-Head of Global Sustainability at Carlyle. With a background in public policy and experience at British International Investment, Katharina has spearheaded enhanced impact and ESG practices. She holds a Bachelor’s in Cultural History from the University of Augsburg, a Master’s in History of International Relations from the LSE, and an MBA from the London Business School.
Recorded in February 2024
Join us for a wonderful episode at Focal Point featuring George Robson, Partner at Sequoia Capital. With a background in investment banking at Morgan Stanley's UK & Ireland Coverage team, and as a former Senior Product Owner at Revolut, George is an LSE alumni from the Economics Class of 2016. He was also the President of the LSESU Investment Society, which merged into our society, the LSESU Business & Investment Group.
Recorded in February 2024
Join us for another captivating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Lars Faeste, the Chairman of EMEA at FTI Consulting. Before his current role, Lars joined BCG where he led several successful programs. Lars holds an Engineering degree from the Technical University of Denmark, DTU, and an M.B.A. from the Rotterdam School of Management at the Erasmus University in the Netherlands.
Recorded in February 2024
Join us for another outstanding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sandeep Walia, the COO for Marriott International in the Middle East, where he oversees the operations of over 230 hotels and more than 110 properties in the pipeline across 12 countries. Prior to his current role, Sandeep attained an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and an Executive Coach certification from Bossert Associates Coaching Academy.
Recorded in February 2024.
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jorge Padilla, the EMEA Chair at Compass Lexecon. Jorge has contributed numerous papers on competition policy, industrial organisation, intellectual property, and finance. He currently teaches at the Toulouse School of Economics, and he obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of Oxford.
Recorded in February 2024.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Per Breuer, the Senior Partner and Head of Global HR at Roland Berger. Per pursued Business Administration and Management at the University of Hamburg, and also holds a BSc in International Management from the LSE.
Recorded in February 2024.
Join us for another incredible episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Richard Oldfield, the CFO of Schroders. Before joining Schroders, Richard was a partner for 20 years at PwC, before his role as Global Markets Leader at PwC, where he led all market-facing activities, initiatives, and strategy. Richard also obtained a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of York.
Recorded in February 2024.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Judy Hsu, the CEO for Consumer, Private and Business Banking at Standard Chartered. Before her current role, Judy was appointed as the CEO for Singapore and subsequently the Regional CEO for ASEAN & South Asia, she also spent 18 years at Citibank. Judy holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, as well as an MBA in Finance from the University of British Columbia.
Recorded in February 2024.
Join us for another phenomenal episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Miguel Toney, Partner at CVC Credit. Prior to his current role, he worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse and PIMCO before going into Private Credit at MV Credit and Park Square Capital. Miguel holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and International Politics from Vassar College in New York and obtained his MBA from the Said Business School at Oxford University.
Recorded in January 2024.
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Chris Knight, the Group Chief Risk Officer at Legal & General. Prior to his current role, he was CEO of Legal & General Retail Retirement (LGRR) for three years. Chris holds a first-class Bachelor of Arts in Economics, graduating from King’s College, Cambridge.
Recorded in February 2024.
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Eric Hazan, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. Before his current role, Eric had a rich background in consulting, and also worked in marketing and consumer goods at Kraft Jacobs and Danone. As a member of the McKinsey Global Institute Council, which advises on MGI’s business, economic, and technology research, he has contributed to numerous McKinsey research programs, including AI and metaverse.
Recorded in February 2024.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Nik Morandi, the Head of Strategic Partners Europe and a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone. Before his current role, he started his career in M&A at Societe Generale and UBS. In 2007, he started his journey in the Secondaries field at Pantheon Ventures, as a Partner and a member of the firm’s global secondaries investment committee, while leading the firm’s Portfolio Strategy and Research teams. Then, he joined CPPIB as a Senior Principal & European Head of Secondaries, before joining Blackstone in 2020. Nik is an LSE alumnus from the BSc Economics class of 1998 and he then obtained his Master of Philosophy in European Politics and Economics at Oxford University.
Recorded in January 2024.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Peter L. Scher, the Vice Chairman of JPMorgan Chase. Prior to his current role, he was Managing Partner at Mayer Brown’s Washington, D.C. office and Head of Corporate Responsibility and Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Region at JPMorgan Chase. Peter holds a bachelor’s from American University and a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. Peter was nominated by President Clinton as the US Special Trade Ambassador and was one of the lead US negotiators on China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation.
Recorded in December 2023.
Join us for another phenomenal episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jim Covello, the Global Co-Head of Single Stock Research at Goldman Sachs. Prior to his current role, he worked in investment banking at Smith Barney and SG Cowen. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in American Government from Georgetown University and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College.
Recorded in December 2023.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by David Theys, Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey. Prior to his current role, he had over 25 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance, working at leading institutions including J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Merill Lynch and holding managing director and partner positions at prestigious boutiques. David holds a master’s in Civil Electrotechnical Engineering and an MBA from ESSEC Business school.
Recorded in December 2023.
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Eunice Zhu, Executive Director and Head of Counterparty Risk Trading at SMBC Nikko Capital Markets, a branch of the Japanese mega bank SMBC. Prior to her current role, she held similar positions at RBC Capital Markets and UniCredit Bank. Eunice holds a bachelor’s degree in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and a master’s in Finance and Economics from the LSE. Eunice is also an Advisory Council Member for the Harvard Business Review and a Board Member (NED) of the Ekaya Housing Association, an organisation which helps provide housing for BME women and their families in London.
Recorded in December 2023.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Stuart Cash, the Founder and CEO at Y TREE. Prior to his current role, he started out his career as a solicitor before becoming Executive Director at investment bank SBC Warburg, and Partner at Goldman Sachs. Stuart holds a M.A. in Law from the University of Cambridge.
Recorded in December 2023.
Join us for another exceptional episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Victor Haghani, the Founder of Elm Wealth. Prior to his current role, he was a founding partner of Long-Term Capital Management (one of the largest hedge funds in the world prior to its collapse) and Managing Director at Salomon Brothers. Victor is an LSE alumni, holding a bachelor’s degree in Economics and recently published a book, “The Missing Billionaires”.
Recorded in December 2023.
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Alistair Wittet, Portfolio Manager at Comgest. Prior to his current role, he worked at various financial institutions including Citi and abrdn. Alistair holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Durham University.
Recorded in November 2023.
Join us for another phenomenal episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Simon Ridpath, Managing Partner at Charles Russell Speechlys. Prior to his current role, he handled a variety of legal matters including insolvency law early in his career. Simon holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of Kent.
Recorded in November 2023.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Carmen Alonso, the Head of UK and Iberia at Tikehau Capital. Prior to her current role, she was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and Vice President of GSK’s Corporate Finance practice. Carmen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and International Management from Boston University School of Management, obtained her MBA at Babson college, and completed her Executive Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Carmen is also a Board Member of Room to Read, a global organisation that aims to increase literacy and gender equality in education in low-income communities.
Recorded in September 2023.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Lisa Quest, Partner and Head of UK and Ireland at Oliver Wyman. Lisa has nearly 15 years of consulting experience across New York and London, and also worked in private equity. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from the LSE and is a Member of the Board of Trustees at Best Beginnings, a charity focussing on providing support for young children.
Recorded in October 2023.
Join us for another magnificent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Richard Bloxam, the Global CEO of Capital Markets at JLL. Since joining JLL in 1994, Richard has been working across the capital markets business to develop real estate investment strategies for the biggest and most active investors in the world. Richard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Exeter and a Post Graduate Diploma in Estate Management from London Southbank University.
Recorded in September 2023.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Michael Kovacs, Founding Partner of Castleforge. Prior to his current role, he was Vice President at Westbrook Partners where he was involved in transactions representing over £2bn of asset value, and an Analyst at The Blackstone Group. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Recorded in September 2023.
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Carl Wu, the Co-Founder & CEO of New Frontier Group. Under his leadership, New Frontier has become the leading integrated healthcare provider in China, servicing approximately 10 million patients annually across 50 cities. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director at Blackstone and was one of the founding members of Blackstone Asia. Carl is also a LSE Alumni from the BSc Economics Class of 2004, and was acknowledged by Fortune as one of the “40 Under 40” Global Business and Political Leaders in 2021.
Recorded in September 2023.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Murray Roos, the Group Head of Capital Markets at LSEG. Prior to his current role, he held numerous senior positions at prominent investment banks, including Global Head of Prime Finance at Deutsche Bank and Global Co-Head of Equities and Securities Services at Citi. Murray holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and worked as a Chemical Engineer before starting his career in Finance.
Recorded in July 2023.
As the last episode for the summer, join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by John Rudaizky, the Global Brand and Marketing Leader at EY. Prior to his current role, he was Managing Partner at Saatchi & Saatchi, Global Business Director at J. Walter Thompson Worldwide, and CEO of Team Vodafone and Team GSK at WPP. John obtained a bachelor's degree from City, University of London and holds a diploma from the Charted Institute of Marketing. We will be back in the new term.
Recorded in April 2023.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ian Stuart, the CEO of HSBC UK. Prior to his current role, he led the Corporate Banking business at Barclays for six years, and held various roles in Business Banking during his 22 years at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Ian studied at the University of Reading and is a business partner to Meningitis Now.
Recorded in June 2023.
Join us for another wonderful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jonathan Turner, partner at Accel. Prior to his current role, he was a managing partner at Headline VC and one of the co-founders of Qatalyst Partners. Jonathan holds a degree in PPE from the University of Oxford and is a Finance Leaders Fellow at The Aspen Institute.
Recorded in May 2023.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by James Fennell, the CEO of Lichfields. James has over 30 years of experience in planning and is also an Independent Member of the Planning Decisions Committee at the London Legacy Development Corporation.
Recorded in April 2023.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Nick Diamond, Managing Director at Accenture. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director for Global Brands at TCC and worked at Procter & Gamble for over 18 years, holding positions such as Director of Marketing for Global Tesco and Commercial Director for Pharmacy Channel. Nick holds a BA in Geography from the University of Manchester.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Roland Sonnenberg, the Senior Partner at Bain & Company. He began his career as a chartered engineer, worked at PwC for 21 years specialising in Aerospace and & Defence and joined Bain & Company in 2022, providing expertise in Aerospace & Defence and Advanced Manufacturing & Services. Roland holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Birmingham University.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Roxanne Varza, the Director at Station F. Prior to her current role, she was the lead for Microsoft’s start-up activities in France and former Editor of TechCrunch in France. Roxanne holds a joint Master’s in International Political Economy the LSE and Sciences Po and a Bachelor’s in French Studies from UCLA. Roxanne is also an Ambassador for the European Innovation Council, and an Angel Investor and Scout for Sequoia Capital.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another exceptional episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Caroline Siarkiewicz, the Chief Executive Officer at Money and Pensions Service. Prior to her current role, she held senior positions at both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation, before becoming CEO of the Institute of Money Advisers. Caroline holds an MBA from the University of Wolverhampton.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jean-Paul Jaegers, the Head of Asset Allocation at Barclays. Prior to his current role, he held various positions at Barclays, worked at Prudential UK, BNP Paribas Asset Management, and started his career at Fortis Investments. Jean-Paul holds a Master’s in Finance from Maastricht University.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another sensational episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Scott Kim, the CEO at RocketReach. Prior to his current role, he was the President at Zocdoc, CEO of Bankrate.com, and held various C-level roles at About.com. Scott holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and started his career as a Software Engineer at LoudCloud Systems.
Recorded in April 2023.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Stephen Cohen, the Head of EMEA at BlackRock. Prior to his current role, he served as the Head of iShares and Index Investments, as well as the Global Head of Fixed Income Indexing. Before working at BlackRock, Stephen worked at Nomura, ING Barings, and UBS. Stephen holds a 1st class degree in Economics from the University of Southampton.
Recorded in June 2023.
Join us for another magnificent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Evie Vanezie, the Chief Risk Officer/Global Head of Enterprise Risk at Jefferies. Prior to her current role, she held various positions at KPMG and the FCA. Evie holds a BSc in Actuarial Science from the LSE, a master’s in Mathematical Finance from Oxford University and is also a CFA Charterholder.
Recorded in April 2023.
Join us for another incredible episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Errol Gardner, the Global Vice Chair of Consulting at EY. Prior to his current role, he was the Global Leader for Technology Consulting at EY, a partner at IBM, and held a variety of positions at PwC. Errol holds a BA in Industrial Economics from the University of Nottingham.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another captivating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Phillip McCreanor, the Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe at Lincoln International. Prior to his current role, he was a partner at Livingstone Partners and started his career at Deloitte. Phillip holds a Bachelors and Masters in Economics from Macquarie University.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another magnificent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ned Salter, the Global Head of Investment Research at Fidelity International. Prior to his current role, he spent over 8 years at Fidelity, holding positions such as Head of Equities and Head of Research. Ned holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kenyon College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jeffrey Sachs, an Economics Professor and the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Jeffrey received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees in Economics from Harvard University. He has held the Special Advisor role to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and has authored numerous bestselling books. Professor Sachs’ works have influenced the development of many economies, helping them end hyperinflation and transition from communist to market economies.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jonathan Kaye, the Partner, Managing Director, and Head of Business Services at Moelis & Company. Prior to his current role, Jonathan spent over 20 years in the financial services industry. His career spans investment banking and hedge fund research, including firms such as JPMorgan, Jefferies, Sandell Asset Management, Twin Capital Management, and Citi. Jonathan holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and Organic Chemistry from Tufts University and completed a JD degree at Duke.
Recorded in March 2023.
As the final episode of the term, join us for a fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Nick Studer, the President and CEO of Oliver Wyman Group. Prior to his current role, Nick has had over 20 years of experience consulting in the UK, Continental Europe and North America for Oliver Wyman. Nick graduated with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Cambridge and helped set up TheCityUK body, an industry group focused on UK economic competitiveness. Thank you for tuning into LSE Focal Point this term, we will be back after exams!
Recorded in April 2023.
Join us for another sensational episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Rajesh Agrawal, the Deputy Mayor of London for Business since 2016. Prior to his current role, he was an entrepreneur who founded RationalFX in 2005, and Xendpay in 2014. Rajesh holds a bachelor of business administration and MBA from Prestige Institute of Management & Research, Indore, India and is the Chairman of London & Partners, London’s official investment and tourism promotion agency. He was also appointed Chair of Oxfam’s Enterprise Development Programme in 2015 and has been a Patron of the Prince’s Trust for many years.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another sublime episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Gregory Peters, the Co-Chief Investment Officer at PGIM Fixed Income. Before he joined the company he was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. Gregory holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from The College of New Jersey and an MBA from Fordham University. He is also a senior portfolio manager for various strategies at PGIM Fixed Income.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another engrossing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Keith Wade, the Chief Economist at Schroder. Prior to his current role, he was a researcher at London Business School’s Centre for Economic Forecasting. Keith holds a bachelor’s and master's degree in economics from the LSE and is a trustee for the Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another astounding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ericka Leslie, the Chief Administrative Officer at Goldman Sachs. She is also the Co-Chair of the Partnership Committee, Firmware New Activity Committee and Firmware Operational Risk and Resilience Committee, a firmware champion for ‘Launch with GS’ and a member of the Management Committee and Enterprise Risk Committee. Prior to her current roles, she was the Global Head of Operations and Platform Engineering for the Global Markets Division at Goldman Sachs.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for another wonderful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Igno van Waesberghe, the Partner, Head of Europe and Co-Head of Insurance at Aquiline Capital Partners. Prior to his current role, he was Vice President in Corporate Finance at Deutsche Bank and started his career at JP Morgan. Igno holds a Master’s of Laws in International Tax Law at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Rob Watson, the President at Rolls-Royce Electrical. Rob joined the group as a Regional Director, held a number of different management leadership roles and was Chief of Staff to the group CEO. Rob holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Foreign Policy from the University of Leeds and started his career as a diplomat with the British Foreign Office.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Gareth Manley, the Head of Finance APAC at Maven Securities. Prior to his current role, he was a Financial Controller for Europe|US at Maven Securities and a Management Accountant at Plus 500. Gareth has an undergraduate degree from Durham University in Mathematics.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Mike Kuehnel, the Chief Executive Officer and a Member of the Management Board at Flow Traders. Prior to his current role, he was a Partner at Bain & Company leading the Investment Banking and Financial Markets Infrastructure area. Mike holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BBA from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for another marvellous episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by William De Vijlder, the Group Chief Economist at BNP Paribas and the Vice Chairman of BNP Paribas Investment Partners. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director and the Global Chief Investment Officer at Fortis Investments and the Chief Investment Strategist in Asset Management at Belgium’s Generale Bank. William holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Ghent and is also a senior lecturer in Finance and Economics at the university since 1991.
Recorded in December 2022.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Darius Hughes, the UK General Manager at Moderna. Prior to his current role, his experiences span across Boots, Crookes, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, where he worked for 13 years and eventually became the Head of Vaccines Business Unit for the UK and Ireland. Darius holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Portsmouth and was also the Chair of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry vaccines group.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Alex Liu, the Managing Partner and Chairman at Kearney. Prior to his current role, he was the CEO of a technology start-up, partner with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and brand manager at a Procter & Gamble subsidiary company. Alex holds a MBA from Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a BA in economics.
Recorded in March 2023.
Join us for another outstanding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Okan Pekin, the Global Head of Securities Services at Citi. Prior to his current role, he was the Global Head of Investor Services, Global Head of FX and EM Institutional Sales at Citi. Okan holds an MBA in Finance and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Bogaziçi University.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for the 150th episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Bob Moritz, the Global Chairman at PwC. Bob has been at the firm since 1985. Prior to his current role, he was the US Chairman and Senior Partner, Assurance Leader and Managing Partner of the New York Office and Metro Region at PwC. Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Oswego and sits on several boards including the Oswego College Foundation and World Economic Forum.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another incredible episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ganesh V. Iyer, the Chief Executive Officer at NIO in the U.S. Prior to his current role, he was the Vice President and CIO at Tesla, Programs Director at VMWare and a Consultant Manager for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Ganesh holds an engineering degree from the University of Calicut.
Recorded in February 2023.
Join us for another memorable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Hywel Ball, the UK Chair and UK&I Managing Partner at EY. Prior to his current roles, he was the UK&I Managing Partner of Assurance and UK Head of Audit at EY. Hywel is on the Advisory Board for the Financial Reporting Council’s work on the Future of Corporate Reporting and on the audit committee of the British Museum. He holds a BEng in Civil Engineering from Imperial College London.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Warren Hibbert, a Founder and Managing Partner at Asante. Prior to his current role, he was a Senior Partner at Vision Private Equity Advisers. Warren holds a Master of Business Science degree in Finance from the University of Cape Town and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Recorded in January 2023.
Join us for another exceptional episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Asif Godall, the Head of Global Markets EMEA at Mizuho. Prior to his current role, he was the Co-Chief Investment Officer at Cairn Capital and the Global Head of Traded Credit at HSBC Global Banking and Markets. Asif holds a first-class degree from the University of Manchester - Institute of Sciences in Mathematics.
Recorded in December 2022.
Join us for another impressive episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sorcha McKenna, a Partner at McKinsey & Company. Her work focuses on integrated care and out-of-hospital care and leads McKinsey’s work in these areas across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Sorcha has a degree in microbiology and a PhD in molecular microbiology from Trinity College Dublin.
Recorded in December 2022.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Salman Ahmed, the Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation at Fidelity International. Prior to his current role, he was the co-Chair of the Global Investment Committee and Chief Investment Strategist at Lombard Odier IM (LOIM), the Head of Global Macro at Edf trading and a global economist at Goldman Sachs. Salman holds a PhD and MPhil in Economics & Finance from the University of Cambridge and his undergraduate degree from Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Recorded in January 2023.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Christoph Schell, the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Intel. Prior to his current roles, he was the President of 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing at HP Inc and the Executive Vice President of Growth Markets for Philips. Christoph holds bachelor’s degrees from ESB Reutlingen in Germany and Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Reims in France.
Recorded in December 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Stanford Swinton, Founder of NPSx and Executive Vice President at Bain & Company. Prior to his current role, he was the Global Vice President, Customer Care/Restaurant Operations/Customer Experience at Deliveroo, Group Manager at PwC in Sydney, Australia and worked for United State Senate in the Finance Committee. Stanford holds a Doctor in Law at the George Washington University and an MBA from the University of Oxford.
Recorded in January 2023.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ed Greig, the Chief Disruptor at Deloitte Digital. Prior to his current role, he was a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Digital and a Consultant at Deloitte. Ed is a Board Trustee at British Future, and has an undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Warwick.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jeremy Taylor, a Managing Director and the Chief Executive Officer at Lazard Asset Management. Prior to his current roles, he was the Co-Director of Research, primarily covering the Telecommunications sector, at Lazard and a Director and Research Analyst at UBS Warburg. Jeremy has an MSc in Engineering, Economics and Management from Oxford University.
Recorded in January 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Daniel Cohen, the Chairman at Cohen & Company Asset Management and Managing Member of the Cohen Circle. Prior to his current roles, he was the Chairman of The Bancorp as well as the CEO for numerous other companies. Daniel has a degree from the University of Chicago.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another impressive episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Paul Schultz, the CEO of Aon Securities. Prior to his current role, he advised Aon on issuing the first-ever securitisation of private equity limited partnerships and spent 14 years at JP Morgan specialising in the Insurance Practice. Paul has an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another impressive episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Andrea Bordoni, the Global Head of Financing Quants at UBS. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of Delta 1 Quantitative Research and the Head of Investor Services Quantitative Research for EMEA and APAC at J.P. Morgan, the CRO of Davide Leone & Partners Investment and an Executive Director responsible for trading the Global GSS Financing Book at Goldman Sachs. Andrea studied at Comillas Pontifical University, LUISS Business School and Bocconi University.
Recorded in October 2022.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Raymond Berglund, the Head of EMEA Healthcare and Life Sciences and a Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal. Prior to his current role, he was the Vice President Global Commercial Operations & Digital Customer Infrastructure at Acelity, the Vice President Global Business Services at Smith & Nephew and the CFO Respiratory and Sleep at GE Healthcare. Raymond studied Engineering and Management at Clarkson University and was a Board Member for Riding Tide Casitas.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Anthony Duggan, the Head of Strategy at Knight Frank. Prior to his current role, he was the Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Capital Markets Research at Knight Frank, and a Corporate Finance Partner at Deloitte. He is a member of Knight Frank’s Group Executive Board, where he holds the position of Partner in Charge of People, and chairs the ESG Taskforce.
Recorded in October 2022.
Join us for another memorable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Mark Aedy, a Managing Director and the Head of EMEA and Asia Investment Banking at Moelis & Company. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of EMEA Corporate and Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and a member of the Global Corporate and Investment Banking Executive Committee with experience as the Head of Metals & Mining and Head of General Industrials. Marks holds an undergraduate degree from Durham University and is a Senior Independent Director of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Non-Executive Director of British Land PLC and a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Mae Cheng, the Senior Vice President of Barron’s Group at Dow Jones, where she oversees the award-winning financial publications Barron’s, Market Watch, Financial News and Mansion Global. Prior to her current role, she was a publisher and editor at Mansion Global and Barron’s Mental and led newsrooms at Cablevision, Newsday and amNewYork. Mae studied at Boston University in Journalism and Political Science.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sitar Teli, a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Connect Ventures. Prior to her current role, she was a Senior Associate at Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures. Sitar is currently also a Board Director at MedAll, Second Nature, Fiit, Kheiron Medical and CharlieHR, a Seed Investor at Thursday and an Investor at Woolf. She studied at Duke University in Mechanical Engineering and Economics.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Therese Giambona, the Head of Payables at Flywire. Prior to her current role, Global Head Cash Network Management at JP Morgan and the Senior Manager Bank Operations and External Partners at Western Union Business Solutions. Therese studied at the Thunderbird School of Global Management for his MBA.
Recorded in October 2022.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jeff Lynn, the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Seedrs, Europe’s largest and most active equity crowdfunding platform. Prior to his current role, he was the Non-Executive Director of Companies House and is currently also the Vice Chair of the European Crowdfunding Network and Chairman of the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec). Jeff has an MBA from Said Business School, University of Oxford, and has Laos studied at the University of Virginia School of Law and the University of Pennsylvania.
Recorded in November 2022.
Join us for another astounding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Patrice Conxicoeur, the CEO of Singapore and Head of Southeast Asia at HSBC Global Asset Management. Prior to his current role, he was the CEO & Representative Director at HSBC Global Asset Management Japan, a Managing Director and the Global Head of Insurance Coverage at HSBC Hong Kong and the CEO of Sinopia Asset Management. Patrice has studied at the Emlyon Business School and the University of St Andrews.
Recorded in October 2022.
Join us for another marvellous episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Lucy Baldwin, the Global Head of Research & Equity Advisory at Citi. Prior to her current role, she was the Global Head of Equity Sales at Credit Suisse, Head of European Equity Sales at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and the Co-Head of European Equity Researcher at Goldman Sachs. Lucy is a Member of the University of Birmingham’s Investment Committee and the Chair of the Advisory Board of Ark Curriculum Plus.
Recorded in October 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Matt Clifford, the Co-Founder and CEO of Entrepreneur First. Prior to his current role, he worked at McKinsey & Company in the healthcare, retail, high-tech and social sectors. Matt is also the Chair of Advanced Research and Invention Agency, the Co-Founder of Code First: Girls and a Council Member (non-executive director) at Innovate UK. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with double first-class honours with distinction.
Recorded in October 2022.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Chris Bose, the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Nationwide. Prior to his current role, he was the Vice Chair of the External Affairs Committee at UK Finance and a Senior Government Relations and Public Policy Manager at Santander. Chris studied for his master’s degree at the University of Manchester and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Warwick.
Recorded in October 2022.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sally Johnson, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Pearson. Prior to her current role, she worked in the Core Markets division at Pearson and was involved in restructuring and M&A projects. Sally has also worked at Penguin Books and PwC’s audit division, after graduating from the University of Oxford studying Maths.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Carlos Eduardo Espinal, a Managing Partner at Seedcamp. Prior to his current role, he worked at Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures and as an Engineer in Advanced Comm Technologies at NYSE Euronext. Carlos was named the Investor of the Year in 2021 by GP Bullhound and attended Babson College for his MBA.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for another exceptional episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Henric Hungerhoff, a founding Managing Director at APX. Prior to his current job, he was the Chief of Staff for the CEO at Axel Springer. Henric has also founded The Venue Berlin, a hub for audio and music in Kreuzberg, and is a lawyer holding a PhD in criminal law from Bucerius Law School.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Nic Brisbourne, the CEO, Founder and Managing Partner of Forward Partners. Prior to founding Forward Partners in 2013, he was a founding partner at Draper Esprit and was a strategy consultant for Gemini Consulting and the Operis Group.
Recorded in September 2022.
Join us for another memorable episode of Focal Point where today we are joined by Michael Silverton, the Group Head of Macquarie Capital where he leads a global team who provides advisory, capital markets, investing, development and equities capabilities to clients. Michael has worked at Macquarie Capital for over 25 years in Sydney, London, Chicago and New York.
Recorded in August 2022.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sabrina Bailey, the Global Head of Investment & Wealth Solutions, Data & Analytics Division at London Stock Exchange. Prior to her current role, she was the CEO of Emotomy and the Head of Digital Investment Advice at Northern Trust Asset Management. Sabrina has an MBA and Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Management from George Fox University.
Recorded in March 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Kevin Hartz, the Co-Founder and Chairman of Eventbrite and the Co-Founder and General Partner of A* Capital. Prior to his current rules, he was a Venture Partner for Founders Fund and a Member on the Board of Directors, Founder and CEO of Xoom. Kevin graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelors in History and Applied Earth Sciences and a Masters in History at Oxford.
Recorded in August 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Neeraj Seth, the Head of Asian Credit and Managing Director at BlackRock. He is the portfolio manager for the Asian Tiger Bond Fund and Asia Pacific private credit fund. Prior to his current role, he was the Senior Vice President at R3 Capital Partners, worked in the Global Principal Strategies team at Lehman Brothers and an Associate Partner with McKinsey & Company.
Recorded in August 2022.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Anita Tanna, the Head of Equity Sales EMEA and a Managing Director at Barclays. Prior to her current role, she was the Head of Equity Sales UK at Citi and was part of the EMEA Markets ESG and Diversity Committee. Anita attended Manchester University, where she studied Economics with a Major in Econometrics with a first-class bachelor's degree.
Recorded in July 2022.
Join us for another impressive episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Laurent Haziza, the former Global Partner, Global Co-Head of Financial Sponsors Coverage and Managing Director at Rothschild. Laurent has an MSc from LSE in International Relations, MSc from Universite Paris Dauphine in Monetary Economics and BA from Sciences Po in Political Science and Government.
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Arjun Nagarkatti, the Head of the International Private Bank, Americas at Deutsche Bank. Prior to his current role, he was the Global Head of Lending at Deutsche Bank. He is also currently a Board Member for the Organisation for Refuge, Asylum & Migration (ORAM) and attended the LSE where he has a Masters in Management and Regulation of Risk.
Recorded in June 2022.
Join us for another marvellous episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sonya Iovieno, the Head of Venture Capital and Growth Banking for SVB UK at Silicon Valley Bank. Prior to her current role, she was responsible for new business origination with mid-market companies for Lloyds Bank.
Recorded in May 2022.
Join us for another astounding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Clifford Chiu, a Partner and Senior Advisor at Vista Equity Partners. He also now serves as a Senior Advisor to Vista’s Executive Committee and sits on the boards of Acquia, Allvue Systems, Apptio, Finastra, Fusion Risk Management, LogicMonitor and TIBCO. Prior to his current role, he was a partner at KKR where he founded and led capital raising and investor relations for the Asia Pacific region. Clifford has his Bachelors in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Recorded in May 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Joseph Najjar, the Head of Family Office & Institutional Specialists Europe at Credit Suisse. Prior to his current role, he was the Co-Head of Ultra High Net Worth Advisory in Europe at Credit Suisse and worked in M&A advisory at UBS. Joseph did his Masters in Management and Finance at HEC Paris and has a Bachelors in Economics at Saint Joseph University of Beirut.
Recorded in June 2022.
Join us for another outstanding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Simon Sprague, a Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Simon is a Lean and Industry 4.0 expert and core member of BCG’s Health Care and Operations practices. Prior to his current role, he trained as a research scientist after completing a DPhil at the University of Oxford and a two-year postdoctoral research scholarship at Stanford University in Organic Chemistry.
Recorded in April 2022.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by John Tuttle, the Vice Chairman at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) & President of NYSE Institute. Prior to his current role, he was the Global Head of Listings at NYSE, a Managing Director in Global Affairs and Government Relations at NYSE Euronext, an Appointee of the US Department of State and part of the Executive Office of the President at the White House. John has an MBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business.
Recorded in May 2022.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sylvain Broyer, the Chief EMEA Economist at S&P Global Ratings. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of Economics at Natixis and was a member of Natixis’ General Management of its German Branch. Sylvain has been a member of the ECB Shadow Council and teaches at the Paris Dauphine University.
Recorded in May 2022.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Hugh Karseras, a Managing Director, the COO IB EMEA and Global Head of Client Strategy Wholesale Division at Nomura. Prior to his current role, he worked in Sales and Finance at Deutsche Bank, Strategy at Barclays Capital and as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. Hugh holds an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Princeton.
Recorded in June 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Robert Gardner, the Director of Investments at St James’s Place Wealth Management. He also is the Chairman of the Board at Rowan Dartington, part of the Expert Committee in the Retirement Investment Systems Reform Project at the World Economic Forum, and Co-Founder at Redington and mallowstreet. Prior to his current role, he worked as a Director at Merrill Lynch and in Global Markets are Deutsche Bank. Robert attended the University of Oxford and studied Geography.
Recorded in June 2022.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Janet Mui, the Head of Market Analysis at Brewin Dolphin and a voting member of Brewin Dolphin’s Asset Allocation Committee. Prior to her current role, she was the Global Economist at Cazenove Capital. Janet holds a first-class bachelor's degree in Economics from the LSE and an MBA in Finance from Cambridge University. She also holds the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing and the Postgraduate Certificate in Econometrics from Birkbeck College. Janet was named one of Linkedin’s top voices in finance for 2022.
Recorded in May 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Paul Moody, a Managing Director in Regions, Marketing and Societies at CFA Institute. Prior to his current role, he was a Client Solutions Director at Aviva Investors as well as roles at Henderson Global Investors and NPI. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Wolverhampton and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA).
Recorded in April 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jason Tarry, the Chief Commercial Officer at Tesco. Prior to his current role, he was the CEO of Group Clothing at Tesco (including UK and ROI stores, online operations and F&F’s Asia business and franchise partnerships).
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another astounding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Martin Brand, the Head of North America Private Equity and Global Co-Head of Technology Investing at Blackstone. He has been involved in Blackstone’s investments including Refinitiv, Bumble and IntraFi. Prior to his current role, he was a derivatives trader at Goldman Sachs in New York and Tokyo and worked at McKinsey & Company in London. Martin has a first-class honours degree from Oxford University in Mathematics and Computation, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Recorded in March 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Steve Gordon, a Managing Director in the Consumer Retail Team at Evercore. He has been involved in deals advising S.A. Brain & Co. on the transfer of its pub operations to Marston’s, Proctor & Gamble on its defence against shareholder activism and Tiffany & Co on its debt public bond offering. Prior to his current role, he worked in the consumer retail teams at Goldman Sachs and Lazard in London and New York. Steve holds a first case degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Science in Economics from the LSE.
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Josh Eastright, the CEO of Bloomberg Industry Group. Prior to his current role, he was the President of Bloomberg Government, a Commercial Director at Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Global Product Manager, Energy and Commodities at Bloomberg. Josh has a degree from Amherst College.
Recorded in March 2022.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Emmanuel Roman, the CEO of PIMCO. Prior to his current role, he was the CEO at Man Group PLC, co-chief executive officer at GLG Partners and the Co-Head of Worldwide Global Securities and Co-Head of the European services division at Goldman Sachs. Emmanuel is a trustee of the Paris Review of Books, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, the Tate Foundation and the University of Chicago, as well as holding an MBA in finance and econometrics from the University of Chicago.
Recorded in May 2022.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Dirk Effenberger, the Head of Investment Risk at UBS. Prior to his current role, he was the Head Cross-Regional Investment Office at UBS, a Senior Economist at Swiss Re and an Economist at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. Dirk had a PhD in Economics at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and a degree in Econometrics from the University of California.
Recorded in April 2022.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Phil Mackintosh, the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President at Nasdaq. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of Trading Strategy and Analysis at KCG/Virtu Financial, the Global Head of Trading Strategy at Credit Suisse and the Head of Index Portfolios at Country Investment Management. Phil has a Masters in Quantitative Finance from the University of Technology in Sydney.
Recorded in March 2022.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Louis Kuijs, the Chief Asia Economist at S&P Global Ratings. Prior to his current role, he was the Head of Asia Economics at Oxford Economics, the Chief Economist (Greater China, Corporate and Institutional Banking) at RBS International in Hong Kong, a Senior Economist at the World Bank Group and a Senior Economist at the IMF. Louis holds a Master in Economics from the LSE.
Recorded in April 2022.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jason Channell, the Head of Sustainable Finance and a Managing Director at Citi. Prior to his current role, he was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs where he set up and managed Goldman Sachs’ global coverage of the renewable energy/cleantech industry within Equity Investment Research, and an Executive Director at Cheuvreuz and ABN Amro Hoare Govett. Jason holds a degree from the University of Durham in Engineering Science and Management.
Recorded in March 2022.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jon Slade, the Chief Commercial Officer of the Financial Times. Prior to his current role, he worked as a Commercial Designer in the Global Digital Advertising and Insight team at the Financial Times, a Technology Client Manager at News International and the Head of Technology Advertising EMEA at the Financial Times before that. Jon is a speaker for 'Speakers for Schools' - a charity that focuses on giving state schools reputable figures from a range of industries.
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another outstanding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Evonne Tan, the Head of Barclays Private Bank, Singapore and a Member of the Barclays Singapore Management Team. Prior to her current role, she was an Executive Director at UBS, the CEO and Founder of Magenta Advisors and an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley in Asset/Liability Structuring Sales. Evonne is also an Unreasonable Mentor and has a Masters in Wealth Management from the Simon Business School (University of Rochester) and a Masters in Advanced Studies in Finance from the University of Bern.
Recorded in March 2022.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Aya Kawamoto, an Executive Director at Nomura. Prior to her current role, she was a Director in the Fixed Income Department at Credit Suisse. Aya got her law degree from Keio University in Tokyo.
Recorded in January 2022.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Marco Staccoli, a Managing Director in Investment Banking FIG at Jefferies. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director IB FIG at Credit Suisse and a Vice President IB FIG at J.P. Morgan. Marco got his Master's degree from the LSE.
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another marvellous episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Dean Maki, the Chief Economist at Point72 Asset Management. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director and Chief US Economist at Barclays where he analysed and forecasted the US economy and monetary and fiscal policy, the Vice President of Economic Research at J.P. Morgan, US economist at Putnam Investments and Senior Economist on the Federal Reserve Board. Dean holds a PhD in economics from Stanford University and BA in economics from St. Olaf College.
Recorded in February 2022
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sanjay Bahadur, the Deputy Executive Vice President and Head of Group Strategy and Business Development at Nestle. Prior to his current role, he has held a variety of roles at Nestle including the CFO of the Greater China Region and has represented Nestle on the Board of Froneri Lux Topco Sarl, Luxembourg. Sanjay is also a member of the Advisory Board of Imperial College Business School, London.
Recorded in January 2022
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Andrei Milekhin, a Managing Director and the Head of Telecoms and Digital Infrastructure Investment Banking EMEA (part of Greentech, Industrials & Infrastructure Group) at Nomura. Prior to his current role, he was an Executive Director in EMEA TMT Investment Banking at Nomura, a Director in Mergers and Acquisitions at VimpelCom and Vice President in EMEA TMT Investment Banking at UBS. Andrei got his bachelor's degree from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Recorded in February 2022
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Antonio Belloni, the Group Managing Director at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Prior to his current role, he was the President of Proctor and Gamble, and as the Group Managing Director, he is responsible for strategic and operational management of Group companies. Antonio has a degree in economics from the University of Pavia in Italy.
Recorded in January 2022
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by John Mangelaars, the CEO of Skyscanner. Prior to his current role, he worked as the CEO of Travix International and the Vice President of Advertising and Online at Microsoft. John currently is also the Non Executive Director of International Personal Finance Plc.
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Laurent Feniou, a Managing Director at Cartier UK. Prior to his current role, he worked as a Managing Director at Rothschild, a Vice President at Credit Suisse and a Navy Officer for the French Embassy. Laurent went to the ESCP Business School where he studied Finance.
Recorded in January 2022.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Kim Morgan-Verlaque, the Chief Business Integrity Officer at Unilever. Prior to her current role, she worked as the Global General Counsel Home Care and GC Africa at Unilever, Chief of Staff for Barclays Africa Compliance and was the Head of Legal, UK Retail Bank, at Barclays and was seconded to Barclays Africa where she worked in Johannesburg, South Africa. Kim has also worked as a Senior Legal Counsel at GE Money, a Vice President at Morgan Stanley and the Head of Litigation at Marks and Spencers.
Recorded in January 2022.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ken Towle, the Chief Executive Officer of Nisa at the Co-op. Prior to his current role, he was the President of Fashion & Teens at M. H. Alshaya Co., a Senior Advisor at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where he advised on digital and format development, the Group Executive Committee Director and Managing Director of Central Europe, Ireland and Turkey at Tesco. Ken currently is a Member of the Board of Trustees for Prostate Cancer UK and did his Bachelor's Degree at The Open University.
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Stuart Lewis, the Chief Risk Officer at Deutsche Bank. Prior to his current role, he was the Deputy Chief Risk Officer, Chief Risk Officer of the Corporate & Investment Bank and Chief Credit Officer at Deutsche Bank. Stuart has also worked at Credit Suisse and Continental Illinois National Bank in London. He did his undergraduate degree in Law at the University of Dundee and also his Masters at the LSE in Law.
Recorded in January 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Bjorn von Siemens, the Founder of Caresyntax and the Managing Director of surgical.ai. Prior to his current roles, Bjorn worked in the Healthcare Consumer sector at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Insurance and Healthcare sector at Bain & Company, and the Private Equity Analyst Healthcare sector at Droege Group. Bjorn did his PhD at the University of St. Gallen, his Masters at the LSE in Accounting and Finance and his BSc at EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht, and was a visiting fellow at Harvard University from 2009-2012.
Recorded in December 2021.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Marc-Alexander Christ, the Co-Founder of SumUp. Prior to founding SumUp, he co-founded Miosato (an online fashion gallery), was the Head of Sales at Groupon, was a Vice President and Founding Member of the German Real Estate Structured Finance Team at JP Morgan and an Associate at European Investors. Marc-Alexander has a Masters at Maastricht University and was an Exchange Student at the NYU Stern School of Business and NEOMA Business School.
Recorded in January 2022.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Hila Klein, the COO of Fiverr. Prior to joining Fiverr, Hila was the Director of House Gaming, the Vice President, Casino & Bingo and the Senior Vice President, Head of Product Technologies Division at 888 Holdings Plc. She holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
Recorded in December 2021.
Join us for another astounding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Prakash Kannan, the Chief Economist and Head of Total Portfolio Management at GIC. Prior to his role at GIC, Prakash was an Economist at the Research Department of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), a desk economist for Turkey in the European Department of the IMF and an economist at the Central Bank of Malaysia during the Asian Financial Crisis. Prakash has a PhD from Stanford University, a BSc in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and currently sits on the Advisory Board for the Centre for Asset Management Research & Investments (CAMRI) at the National University of Singapore Business School and as Council Member of the Economic Society of Singapore.
Recorded in December 2021.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Scott Beiser, the CEO of Houlihan Lokey. Prior to his current role, he led the Infrastructure Services and Trials practices at Houlihan Lokey where he specialised in investment banking services for engineering and construction businesses and was a Senior Financial Analyst at Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Co., where he supervised the budget and forecasting department. Scott earned his Bachelors and Masters in Finance from the College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge.
Recorded in December 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ryan Burke, the Global Private Leader at EY. Prior to his current role at EY, he was the Global Growth Markets Leader, where he led EY Growth Markets strategy and operations, and the Global TAS Consumer Products and Retail Sector Leader at EY. Ryan was also the Vice-President at Chartwell Capital and is currently a Board Member for Reading Partners (North Texas) and the Price College of Business, Steed School of Accounting at the University of Oklahoma (Ryan's alma mater)
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Radu Maftei, Finance and Accounting Vice President Northern Europe at Proctor & Gamble. After graduating from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, he joined Proctor & Gamble in the Financial Analysis group for the Balkan Markets. Radu has spent time working in Dubai, Cincinnati and Geneva.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another outstanding episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Solita Marcelli, the Chief Investment Officer for the Americas at UBS Global Wealth Management. Prior to her role at UBS, Solita worked at J.P. Morgan as the Global Head of Fixed Incomes, Currencies and Commodities in Global Wealth Management, Equity Researcher in the Restaurants and Beverages sector at Thomas Weisel Partners and an Equity Researcher in the Technology Sector at Credit Suisse. She graduated from Brandeis University and completed an MBA at the NYU Stern School of Business.
Recorded in February 2022.
Join us for another superb episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Salim Ramji, the Global Head of ETFs and Index Investment and Senior Managing Director at BlackRock. Prior to his current role at BlackRock, he was the Head of BlackRock's Wealth Advisory business and Global Head of Corporate Strategy, a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company where he led the Asset & Wealth Management practice areas. Salim is a trustee of Graham Windham, a New York-based child care agency.
Recorded in October 2021.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sherry Madera, the Former Chief Industry & Government Affairs Officer at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), and current Chair of The Future of Sustainable Data Alliance. Prior to her role at LSEG, she was the Chief Industry & Government Affairs Officer at Refinitiv, the Minister-Counsellor and Director for China in the Financial Services on behalf of UK Trade and Investment and a Managing Director at Ionic Director. Sherry is also a Council Member at the University of Nottingham and a Member of the Cyberport Hong Kong Advisory board.
Recorded in January 2022.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Vernon Hill, the Founder and Former Chairman of MetroBank and Current CEO and Chairman of Republic First Bancorp. Following his graduation from Wharton School, Vernon founded a real estate firm to find and develop sites for McDonald's, founded Commerce Bancorp of Cherry Hill New Jersey, where he was also the Former Chairman, President and CEO before he moved into his more recent roles. He is also the Chairman of Fetch Inc (Petplan North America) and has written the book 'Fans Not Customers: How to Create Growth Companies in a No Growth World'.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by John Steel, the CEO of Cafedirect. Prior to his role at Cafedirect, he was the Chair of UK Fairtrade Leaders and a London Leaders Mentor for the London Sustainable Development Commission.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Kiran Bhatraju, the Founder and CEO of Arcadia. Prior to his role at Arcadia, he was a Co-Founder and Director of Business Development at American Efficient, a Fellow at Truman National Security Project and a Legislative Assistant at the U.S. House of Representatives. Kiran is also a Board Member at AppHarvest and on the National Council for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by David Durlacher, the CEO of Julius Baer International. Prior to his current role at Julius Baer, he was the Head of Relationship Management at Julius Baer and a Director at Merrill Lynch. David graduated from the University of Edinburgh and is a Member of the Chairman's Advisory Group at the British Museum.
Recorded in October 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Amelia Pan, a Managing Partner in ESG Advisory at PJT Partners. Prior to her role at PJT Partners, she was a Partner at the Brunswick Group, an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan and a Vice President at Casenove in New York. Amelia has a Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge, as well as a Masters Degree from SOAS.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Timothy Bannister, the Director of Data Services and Overseas at Rightmove. Prior to his role at Rightmove, he was a Senior Associate at Booz & Company and a Vice President in Institutional Equity Sales at HSBC. Tim graduated from Wharton School with an MBA, after attending Durham University for his undergraduate degree.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Marie Dzanis, the CEO of Northern Trust Global Investments and the Executive Vice-President and Head of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) at Northern Trust Asset Management. Prior to her role at Northern Trust, she was an Eastern US Manager at BlackRock in iShares and a Vice President at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Marie graduated from the University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Shintaro Okuno, the Head of Bain Tokyo and a Partner at Bain & Company working in the Technology, Consumer Products, Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategies practices. Prior to his role at Bain, he worked in the business planning division of the Central Japan Railway Company. He went to Kyoto University for his undergraduate degree, and has an MBA in Management from MIT.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Symon Drake-Brockman, a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Pemberton Asset Management Group. Prior to his role at Pemberton, he was the CEO and Managing Partner, Global Head of Debt Markets at RBS Global Banking and Markets, and the Managing Partner and Global Head of Debt Markets at ING Barings. Symon graduated from the University of Western Australia.
Recorded in September 2021.
Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Oliver Haarmann, a Founding Partner of Searchlight. Prior to his role at Searchlight, he was a partner at KKR & Co L.P. in London. Oliver graduated from Brown University and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. He serves as a trustee of ArtAngel, Brown University, IntoUniversity and Surgo Foundation.
Recorded in October 2021.
Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by James Yamanaka, the Director of North Asia at British American Tobacco. Prior to his current role, James was a Strategy and Planning Manager at British American Tobacco and he has also held positions at Deloitte and Diamond Cluster International. He has degrees from the University of California and the London Business School.
Recorded in November 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Paul Donovan, the Chief Economist of UBS Global Wealth Management. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director in Global Economics where he was responsible for presenting the bank's global economic outlook to clients, and identifying key trends in the world economy. He is also the Co-Founder of Peter Culverhouse Memorial Trust in cancer research and patient care charitable trust.
Recorded in September 2021.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Randall Lanham, the Founder of Road Runner Media. Prior to his role at Road Runner Media, he graduated from Whittier Law School and University of Delaware in Criminal Justice/Police Sciences.
Recorded in June 2021.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Dr. Athina Kanioura, the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at PepsiCo. Prior to her role at PepsiCo, she was the Chief Analytics Officer and Global Head of Applied Intelligence at Accenture where she led a team of 20,000 professionals focusing on Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Automation. Athina completed her Masters and PhD in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at the University of Sheffield, and her Bachelors in the University of Piraeus.
Recorded in June 2021.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Rupert Soames, the CEO of the outsourcing company Serco. Prior to his role at Serco, he was the Chief Executive of Aggreko and the Banking and Securities Division of Misys, as well as the Senior Independent Director and a member of the Remuneration, Nomination and Audit Committees of Electrocomponents. Rupert studied PPE at Oxford University and is currently the Senior Independent Director of DS Smith.
Recorded in April 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Thomas Brunskill, the Co-Founder and CEO of Forage, the website that offers multiple free virtual work experience programmes. Prior to his role at Forage, he was an M&A Solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons and Corporate Lawyer at MinterEllison. Thomas studied at the Australian National University.
Recorded in September 2021.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Pointwhere today we are joined by Will Gardiner, the CEO of Drax Group. Prior to his role at Drax Group, he was the CFO of Drax, the CFO of CSR, a Group Board Member and CFO of Easynet Group and the Vice President European Telecoms Group at J.P. Morgan. Will graduated from the John Hopkins University for his Masters degree, and Harvard for his Bachelor degree.
Recorded in April 2021.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Phillip Wright, a Managing Director and the European COO at PJT Partners. Prior to his role at PJT Partners, he was a Lead Account Management and Business Manager in the UK Chief Executive Office at UBS, and has also worked at Lloyds Bank and Citi. Phillip graduated from Nottingham Business School with a degree in Business Administration and Management.
Recorded in June 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by David Lloyd, the General Manager of UK, Netherlands and Nordics at Alibaba. Prior to his role at Alibaba, he was a Sector Lead in Retail and Technology at Google, and a consultant at Breakthrough, a human rights group. David graduated from the University of Oxford after studying English and French.
Recorded in June 2021.
Join us for another amazing episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Christian Berchem, the Head of Private Banking at Credit Suisse. Prior to his role at Credit Suisse, he was a Managing Director at Barclays Wealth and Investment Management and Head of Euro Equity Sales at J.P. Morgan. Christian graduated from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management.
Recorded in June 2021.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Luke Spells! Mr Spells is a Managing Director at Citi in the Investment Banking Division. Prior to his role at Citi, he worked at Hawkpoint specialising in UK M&A and before that was at Citi doing TMT Investment Banking. Luke is a graduate from the University of Bristol.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Guy Hands! Mr Hands is the Founder and Chairman at Terra Firma Capital Partners, one of the largest Private Equity firms in Europe. Prior to founding Terra Firma, he was at Nomura International where he established the Principal Finance Group which eventually spun out to Terra Firma, and at Goldman Sachs International where he became the Head of Eurobond Trading and Head of the Global Asset Structuring Group. Guy is the President of the 'Access for Excellence' to promote access to higher education in the UK, and has an MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.
Recorded in June 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Maximilian Kunkel! Mr Kunkel is the Chief Investment Officer in Global Family Office and a Managing Director at UBS. Prior to his current role, he has been the Regional Chief Investment Officer in Germany and Austria and the Head UHNW Investment Specialists in Latin America. Maximilian has completed a Masters at the LSE in Management after other degrees from the CEMS and King's College London.
Recorded in April 2021.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Spiro Youakim! Mr Youakim is a Managing Director and the Global Head of Natural Resources at Lazard. Prior to Lazard, he was a Managing Director at Citi and Vice President at Credit Lyonnais. Spiro has also completed a Masters in Business Administration at Institut Supérieur de Gestion.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Andrew Koval! Mr Koval is the Global Co-Head of Leveraged Finance & EMEA Head of Global Credit Finance at State Street. In his role, Andrew manages a platform of over $10 billion in leveraged loan, CLO and fund finance investments. Prior to his role at State Street, he was a Credit Funds Manager at Intermediate Capital Group and a Debt Manager at 3i Group.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by David Chubak! Mr Chubak is the CEO of US Retail Banking at Citi. Prior to his present role at Citi, David has held roles including Head of Global Retail Bank & Consumer Lending and Head of Global Retail Bank & Mortgages. He has also been a Partner at McKinsey & Company. Currently David is the Chairman of the New York American Heart Association Board and a Member of the Board of Trustees at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and Centre for Sustainable Business.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for an exceptional episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Brian Moynihan! Mr Moynihan is the CEO and Chairman at Bank of America (BoA). In 2020, he was named the CEO of the Year by the Chief Executive Magazine. After he graduated from Brown University and the University of Notre Dame Law School, Brian worked at Edwards & Angell LLP. He joined Fleet Boston bank and after its merger with BoA, he became the President of Global Wealth and Investment Management. Brain was named the CEO of Merrill Lynch after its sale to BoA, and became the CEO in 2010.
Recorded in June 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ken Walsh! Mr Walsh is the Head of Deals at PwC UK. As Head of Deals, he is responsible for PwC's Transaction Services, Corporate Finance, Forensics and Restructuring businesses. Ken has worked with many private equity and corporate clients in buying and selling assets globally. He is also a graduate of Dublin City University.
Recorded in April 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Hans Lorenzen! Mr Lorenzen is the Head of European IG Credit Strategy at Citi. Prior to his role at Citi, he was at BNP Paribas and ABN AMRO as Credit Strategists. Hans holds a Masters from LSE in Economics where he specialised in Econometrics and Monetary Economics.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Philipp Koch! Dr. Koch is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company. He is also the Leader of McKinsey's German Banking Practice and the Leader of McKinsey's European Asset Management Practice, with specialities in retail distribution, product management and organisational restructuring. Prior to McKinsey, Philipp graduated from the LSE with a masters and from the Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg with a PhD.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Henry Jackson! Mr Jackson is the Founder and CEO of OpCapita. Before OpCapita, he was the Head of the European Consumer and Retail Group at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse. Henry has degrees in Finance (Wharton) and International Relations (University of Pennsylvania) and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Special Projects Committee of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York and member of the Council of the Serpentine Galleries in London.
Recorded in February 2021.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by George Athanasopoulos! Mr Athanasopoulos is the Co-Head of Global Markets at UBS. Prior to UBS, he was the General Manager, Group Head of Trading, Sales and Structuring at Eurobank EFG, Managing Director, Global Head of FX Sales and Emerging Markets Sales at Barclays Capital and Managing Director, Head of FX Investor Sales EMEA at Merrill Lynch. George is also the Senior Sponsor for the Global Family Office Group at UBS.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Kevin Ellis! Mr Ellis is the Chairman and Senior Partner at PwC UK and Middle East Alliance. He joined PwC UK in 1984 in the Assurance division and shortly afterwards moved to the Business Recovery Services practice. In 1996 Kevin became a Partner at PwC UK, in 2006 the Head of Business Recovery Services, in 2008 the Head of Advisory and in 2012 the PwC UK's Managing Partner.
Recorded in December 2020.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Alistair Elliott! Mr Elliott is the Chairman and Senior Partner at Knight Frank. He joined Knight Frank on a graduate scheme and shortly afterwards became the Head of National Offices. Key projects include the acquisition of headquarters for Texaco in Canary Wharf and letting in 2000 of approximately 750,000 sq ft at Green Park, Reading to Cisco. In 2006, Alistair became the Head of Commercial Division and was responsible for 11 UK commercial offices.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Clare Marchant! Ms Marchant is the CEO of UCAS. Prior to her role at UCAS, she was appointed the Worcestershire County Council's Chief Executive, where she led the organisation in delivering services for local residents and businesses. Clare has also worked in the NHS as a Chief Deployment Officer and at Deloitte as a Manager. She graduated with a History and Politics degree and later in life completed a Masters in Manufacturing, Management and Technology from the Open University whilst working.
Recorded in November 2020.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Matthew Ponsonby! Mr Ponsonby is the Head of Global Banking at BNP Paribas. Prior to his role at BNP Paribas, he was the Vice-Chairman of Banking and Co-Global COO of Barclays and was instrumental in developing its franchise across Europe. Matthew has also been a Managing Director at Citi and a Director at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell (Deutsche Bank). He is also a member of the Corporate Partnerships Board of GOSH, the UK's leading children's research hospital.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Rob Sim! Mr Sim is the Managing Partner at Europa Capital. Prior to his role at Europa Capital, he was the Associate Director at LaSalle Investment Management and Senior Surveyor at JLL. Rob is a graduate of the University of St Andrews and is currently an Urban Plan Volunteer at the Urban Land Institute.
Recorded in February 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Tom Wedgwood! Mr Wedgwood is the Co-Founder of Newton Europe Limited. He established the consulting company with his co-founders with the aim to be 'different and better'. Prior to his role at Newton, Tom graduated from Cambridge studying engineering and was a civil engineeruntil he decided to change careers and work in consulting at Hagen & Co.
Recorded in November 2020.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Michael Gidney! Mr Gidney is the CEO of Fairtrade Foundation. He has spent the last 20 years working in international development with a focus on reducing poverty and developing small enterprises. Prior to his role at Fairtrade, Michael was the Director of Policy at Traidcraft where he led projects on issues including corporate accountability and responsible sourcing.
Recorded in February 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jonathan Goldstein! Mr Goldstein is the CEO and Co-Founder of Cain International, the real estate investment firm. Prior to Cain International, he was Head of European Real Estate and Direct Investments at Guggenheim Partners and the Deputy Chief Executive of Heron International, where he played a central role in Rontec’s 2011 acquisition of 500 Total petrol stations and the majority of its UK downstream business.
Recorded in April 2021.
Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by David Greenbaum! Mr Greenbaum is the CFO at CPI Property Group. Prior to his role as CFO, he worked at Deutsche Bank for 16 years specialising in debt capital markets in London, Singapore and New York. After graduating from Cornell, David worked briefly at Alliance Capital Management and Credit Suisse First Boston.
Recorded in April 2021.
Join us for another remarkable episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Manfredi Catella! Mr Catella is the CEO and shareholder at COIMA RES and COIMA SGR and Chairman at COIMA, the Italian real estate company. Prior to his role at COIMA, he worked at JP Morgan in Milan, Caisse Centrale des Banques Populaire in Paris and Heitman in Chicago. Currently, Manfredi is the President of the Fondazione Riccardo Catella and is on the Advisory Board of Assolombarda and the prestigious Università Bocconi.
Recorded in April 2021.
Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Rt Hon Jesse Norman! Dr Norman is a Conservative Politician and has been the Financial Secretary to the Treasury since 2019. Prior to his role in Parliament, he was a senior fellow at Policy Exchange and founded the Conservative Co-operative Movement. Jesse was a Director at Barclays until 1997, after completing an undergraduate degree from Cambridge and a PhD from UCL.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jean-Jacques Barbéris! Mr Barbéris is the Director of the Institutional and Corporate Clients Division and ESG at the French Asset Management firm, Amundi. Most significantly, prior to his role at Amundi since 2016, he was the Economic and Financial Affairs Advisor to the French President since 2013 and was a member of the cabinet of Pierre Moscovici, Minister of the Economy and Finance. Jean-Jacques has an advanced degree from the École Nationale Supérieure des Lettres et Sciences Humaines.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Paul Cuatrecasas! Mr Cuatrecasas is the CEO and Founder of London-based, technology focused investment bank Aquaa Partners. Prior to founding Aquaa Partners in 2010, he has experience as the founder of Alegro Capital in 2003 and as the co-founder of ARC Associates back in 1993. Paul has an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Recorded in February 2021.
Join us for another inspiring episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Max Cartellieri! Mr Cartellieri is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of AlphaSights, a global leader in knowledge search. Before founding AlphaSights, he was the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Ciao, a consumer price comparison website that was eventually sold to Microsoft. Max met his Co-Founder at AlphaSights when studying at Stanford Business School, and he previously studied at the LSE.
Recorded in October 2020.
Join us for another interesting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Kamal Ahmed! Mr Ahmed was the Former Editorial Director at BBC News. Prior to his role at BBC News, he was the Business Editor of the Sunday Telegraph and the Executive Editor of the Observer. Kamal is currently the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of the News Movement, a news start-up that aims to deliver trustworthy information to a mass audience on social media.
Recorded in December 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Terri Duhon! Ms Duhon is the Non-Executive Chair of Morgan Stanley Investment Management. She also balances other roles as an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School, Oxford, and is a member on the MIT Corporation Visiting Committee. Earlier, Terri began her career at JP Morgan and worked as a derivatives trader after graduating from MIT with a degree in mathematics. She is a motivational speaker with the organisation Speakers for Schools.
Recorded in November 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Christian Ulbrich! Mr Ulbrich is the CEO and President of Jones Lang LaSalle otherwise known as JLL. Christian joined JLL in 2005 as managing director for Germany. In 2009, he became CEO for the EMEA region, becoming Global CEO in 2016. Before this, Christian spent seven years as CEO of the Hamburg-based HIH group of companies, following 10 years in senior roles with German and international banks.
Recorded in March 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Kevin Hewitt! Mr Hewitt is the EMEA Chairman of FTI Consulting. Before becoming Chairman at FTI, Kevin was the head of FTI’s EMEA Corporate Finance Practice and prior to joining FTI, Mr Hewitt spent 25 years working in EY’s restructuring practice, having made partner in 1998.
Recorded in November 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Dominic Ashcroft! Mr Ashcroft is the Co-Head of EMEA Leveraged Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs alongside Luke Gillam. Mr Ashcroft started his career at Goldman Sachs in 2002 as an analyst in the UK Advisory team. In 2003, he moved to the High Yield Capital Markets desk and became a VP in 2008 and was named managing director in 2011.
Recorded in February 2021.
One of my personal favourites! Join us for a special episode at Focal Point where today we interview Scott Bok! Mr Bok is the CEO and Chairman of Independent Advisory firm, Greenhill & Co. Prior to working at Greenhill & Co, Scott was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley in the mergers, acquisitions and restructuring department and before that started out practicing mergers and acquisitions and securities law at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
Recorded in February 2021.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Yuri Khodjamirian! Mr Khodjamirian is a Fund Management professional and investor with ten years experience in UK and international equity markets. Yuri was responsible for building and co-managing a top-performing Fund while at Majedie Asset Management, a premier independent investment management boutique in London. He is the recipient of Financial News’s 40 under 40 Rising Star award. He is currently launching his own fund Mountain Pass Capital and also writes the blog https://www.snippet.finance. This is a curation of short, easy to digest snippets on investing, finance and macroeconomics written by an experienced fund manager. It is a great resource to improve your knowledge of investing and raise your commercial awareness.
Recorded in December 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Chris Grigg! Mr Grigg was the CEO of British Land for 11 years, one of the largest property development and investment companies in the UK with a portfolio of commercial property worth over £10Bn. Prior to joining British Land, Chris joined Goldman Sachs in 1985, rising to partner and left in 2005 to become Treasurer of Barclays Bank and briefly the CEO of Barclays Commercial Bank.
Recorded in December 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Ralph Schlosstein! Mr Schlosstein is the Co-CEO of Evercore. Before joining Evercore in 2009, Mr. Schlosstein was the Chief Executive Officer of HighView Investment Group and was the President of BlackRock for almost twenty years, the largest asset management firm in the world which he co-founded. Mr Schlosstein also worked for Lehman Brothers in Investment Banking and was also the Associate Director of The White House Domestic Policy Staff where he was responsible for advising President Carter on issues such as urban policy and economic development.
Recorded in December 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Pierre Lagrange! Mr Lagrange has had a varied and fascinating career. He is the Non-Executive Chairman of Huntsman which he acquired in 2014. Huntsman is one of the oldest and most prestigious tailors on London's Saville Row and is also the setting for the Kingsman film franchise. Before acquiring Huntsman, Mr Lagrange co-founded famous hedge fund GLG Partners, later acquired by Man Group in 2010. Mr Lagrange started his career at JP Morgan, where he worked in government bond sales and trading. After working at JP Morgan, Mr Lagrange moved to Goldman Sachs where he managed global equity portfolios.
Recorded in November 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Dietrich Becker! Mr. Becker is a Partner and Head of Perella Weinberg Partners’ Advisory business in Europe. Prior to joining Perella Weinberg Partners in 2006, Mr. Becker served as Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s Global Industrial Group. Mr Becker advised on the hostile takeovers of Mannesmann by Vodafone, the largest M&A deal in history and began his investment banking career with Merrill Lynch in 1991.
Recorded in December 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Andrew Hill! Mr Hill is an Associate Editor and Management Editor at the Financial Times and was named Business Commentator of the Year in 2016. Andrew is the author of Leadership in the Headlines and also writes in the FT's fortnightly satire Work Tribes. In 2014, Andrew conceived the "Strategy Live" concept for The 125, the FT's forum for next-generation leaders and in 2005 he helped launch the FT Business Book of the Year Award - the most prestigious literary prize of its type.
Recorded in November 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Jay Bregman! Mr Bregman is the CEO & cofounder of Thimble, a start-up designed to make insurance simpler for small businesses which has now raised over $30M from investors. Prior to Thimble, Jay founded Hailo, a ride-sharing company in London backed by investors such as Sir Richard Branson, Hailo was acquired by Daimler, the automotive company behind Mercedes Benz and was rebranded to FreeNow.
Recorded in December 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Michael Seibel. Mr Seibel is the CEO and partner of Y Combinator, Y Combinator is a start-up accelerator headquartered in California that has helped launch the likes of AirBnB, DropBox, Twitch and Reddit. Prior to working at Y Combinator, Michael co-founded Justin.tv/Twitch and was also CEO of Socialcam which he later sold to Autodesk in 2012.
Recorded in November 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Dr. Colin Light! Dr. Light is a Partner at Strategy& as well as the UK Strategy& Consulting Practice leader and a member of the EMEA Strategy& leadership team. Prior to his work at Strategy&, Colin was a Partner at PWC in Hong Kong and Mainland China as well as having been the Interim Chief Corporate Development and Operations Officer at HTC as a secondment from PWC.
Recorded in October 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Stephen Newton! Mr Newton is the CEO and Founder of Elixirr with the vision of building the best consultancy firm in the world. Prior to founding Elixirr in 2009, Stephen was a managing partner at Accenture, a partner in Financial Services at IBM as well as a Global Account Principal at KPMG.
Recorded in September 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Benoît Durteste! Mr Durteste is the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), a global alternative asset manager with over €45BN of assets, specialising in financing private debt, credit and equity. Benoît has had considerable experience within financial services, prior to working at ICG, Benoît was a Managing Director for Swiss Re in their London Structured Finance division and also worked within BNP Paribas Leveraged Finance among other firms.
Recorded in October 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Mary Nicholson! Ms Nicholson is the Head of Responsible Investment and Managing Director at Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA). Mary has worked with Macquarie in a variety of roles for over 15 years and prior to Macquarie, she worked within audit at PWC.
Recorded in October 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we interview Ian Stewart! Mr Stewart is a Partner and Chief Economist at Deloitte, where he advises Boards and companies on macroeconomics. Ian devised the Deloitte Survey of Chief Financial Officers and writes a popular weekly economics blog, the Monday Briefing. Among his previous roles, Ian was also the Chief Economist for Europe at Investment Bank Merrill Lynch.
Recorded in September 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode with Hermann Hauser. Mr Hauser is an entrepreneur, having started Acorn Computers and assisted in spinning out technology giant ARM as well as founding and co-founding Active Book Company, Virata, Net Products, NetChannel and Cambridge Network. Hermann later co-founded Amadeus Capital Partners which invests and supports high-growth technology companies around the world!
Recorded in September 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode with Robert Thomson! Mr Thomson is the Managing Partner at strategy consulting firm Roland Berger. Robert focuses on the aerospace and defence industry, consulting clients on strategy, M&A and operational improvement. Interestingly, Robert has also worked as an Investment Fund Manager as well and is the founder of Objective Asset Management, a specialist investment company!
Recorded in September 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode with Sir Charles Bean! Sir Bean served as the Chief Economist at the Bank of England from 2000 to 2008 and continued his career as the Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy at the Bank of England from 2008 to 2014. Having helped forecast and guide the bank through such historic times, Sir Charles was later knighted and is currently a professor of Economics at our very own LSE!
Recorded in September 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode with John Markland! Mr Markland is a partner in Dechert’s London office. John is co-head of the firm’s global leveraged finance practice. According to The Legal 500 he is "a true and rare rock star of leveraged finance". John has more than twenty seven years of legal practice in the City of London and prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Markland was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis for over 12 years where he founded and led the European debt finance practice.
Recorded in September 2020.
Join us for another exciting episode with Keith Breslauer! Mr Breslauer is the Founder and Managing Partner of Patron Capital which is a European private equity real estate fund with €3.4 billion across five funds. Keith is also an active supporter of many charities including acting as Trustee for the Royal Marines and even has a climbing cave installed in Patron's London office!
Recorded in September 2020.
Join us for an exciting episode with Howard Marks! Mr Marks the co-founder and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management, which manages just over 120 billion dollars in assets. Howard is admired in the investment community for his memos which detail his investment strategies and insight into the economy and are posted publicly on the Oaktree website. Warren Buffet says of him, "When I see memos from Howard Marks in my mail, they're the first thing I open and read. I always learn something, and that goes double for his book.".
Recorded in August 2020.
Join us for an exciting episode with Dr. David Kelly! Dr. Kelly is the Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management. With over 20 years of experience, David joins us to provide an insightful perspective on the economy and current market trends.
Recorded in August 2020.