INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT: BUSINESS AREA
MANAGEMENT
“Characterising their skill as
MARC SCHARTZ
merely being good at
Title: Investment Analyst
mathematics is underselling
Current employer:
Governance for Owners
them somewhat. Those who
Previous employers: Fortis
Investments
Universities:
excel from these backgrounds
University of Montpellier, France;
Cass Business School, UK
are good at getting behind the
Degrees: ‘Maitrise’ in Economics;
Masters in Banking and
numbers in the markets and
International Finance
Professional qualifi cations:
ultimately, can make the
Passed CFA Level III – charter
pending; IMC
technical element of fi nance
What attracted you to this career path?
digestible to a lay audience. The versatility of the work inherent in equity analysis was a major
attraction for me. I get the opportunity to analyse companies and
Can you explain probability meet business leaders from various fi elds, thus gaining multi-
dimensional perspectives on the business environment.
and standard deviation to
What are the major challenges you face in your position?
your grandmother?” The major challenge lies in forming an independent, coherent
assessment of a company. It is occasionally crucial to take a step
Sarah Dudney, Lockwood Gibb & Associates
back, challenge the common assumptions and form a clear view on
the actual quality of the underlying business.
they made. Nevertheless, the appeal of good products
remains very strong.”
Are there certain skills you would consider useful for your job?
Broadly speaking, head hunters working in this space
Besides technical accounting and valuation skills, it is important to
look for candidates from engineering or science
be able to synthesise information and perspectives into a fi nal
assessment. Further, it is key to have an independent, critical mind,
disciplines. But they are also looking for something a little
eager to continuously challenge ideas.
extra. “Characterizing their skill as merely being good at
mathematics is underselling them somewhat. Th ose who
How do you think the role you’re in now will change over time?
excel from these backgrounds are good at getting behind
The role presents an interesting platform to move subsequently into
the numbers in the markets and ultimately, can make the
a fund manager role. Working with senior fund managers allows me
technical element of fi nance digestible to a lay audience.
to develop a feel for companies, markets and investment
Can you explain probability and standard deviation to
opportunities.
your grandmother?” says Sarah Dudney, a head-hunter for
Lockwood Gibb & Associates.
Do you have advice for someone intending to pursue the same
She also points out that now, more than ever, it’s
career path?
important to be able to work within a group. Investment
A generalist buy-side analyst role is ideal for someone who really
management companies, whatever their discipline, also
enjoys looking into companies and their underlying business models.
value employees who can work as part of a team.
There is not ‘one’ way to start. The key success factor lies in your
Collaboration is a very important part of making willingness and ability to build analysis on sensible and coherent
investment work eff ectively in tough markets,” she says.
Cg
reasoning.
WWW.CFAUK.ORG CAREERS GUIDE 2009 15
112-29 investment management.indd 152-29 investment management.indd 15 222/11/08 12:39:452/11/08 12:39:45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100