Q1. What or who inspired you to work in investing?
When I grew up in Germany I knew nothing about investments. It wasn’t very mainstream. Working as an au pair for an US investment analyst (Frank) in my early 20s got me interested in the industry. I used to go into Frank’s office and very often listened to him when he was working at home. Living with him for a year and learning what his job was all about inspired me to work in investing. After my year as an au pair I enrolled at university to study business and finance. During my 4 years I tried to get as many internships in different investment organisations as possible. This manifested my belief to pursue a career in this field.
Q2. What do you think the future looks like for women in investing?
What would you like to see?I think it is getting a bit easier for women to work in investments, but there’s still room for improvement. I hope and believe that in future there is no reason to single out women in investments as it will become a level playing field for all. There are many organisations driving the quota up and helping women getting the same recognition as men. I don’t think we’re quite there yet but there has been a lot of improvement over the last 20 years. E.g. schools are offering more courses in investment early on to get students (and esp. girls) interested in a career in the field. For example, I recently acted as a mentor to school girls in the Future Assets programme, which tells girls in Scotland about investment management, enthuses them about careers in the sector, and widens the talent pipeline to improve diversity in the industry. (https://www.futureasset.org.uk/) I would like to see more programmes like this that help young girls understand what investing is all about. Another aspect is to have a mentor when starting in investments. Starting your career is a daunting prospect in any field. It would be great to see a scheme where this can be rolled out to each company and tailored to a new start. I believe women starting out would benefit from a different mentoring style to men as they approach investing differently. (That’s why diversification works.)
Q3. What is your attitude to investment risk?
Having worked most of my career in Scotland, I am towards the lower end of the risk spectrum. I “grew up” in investment companies that manage pension funds and trace their origins back to the 18th and 19th century investing for widows and orphans. This has influenced my investment style over the years and I pay very close attention to valuation and the downside risk (losing money for our clients). I am looking for growth when investing, but it has to be at a reasonable price.
Q4. If you had a superpower, what would it be
Teleportation
Q5. Tell us your motto or if you don’t live by one, why not?
I have two: “I am a lighthouse that uses the power of the ocean to stand strong and calm in life.” (Translation from German) “Illegitimi non carborundum” (Don’t let the bastards grind you down)