Rachel Finlayson

When did your interest in financial markets start?

I was a late bloomer with regards to investing – this developed while I was at varsity.
I am driven by learning. Listening to friends that were studying financial degrees made me realise that there was a lot I didn’t know – this peaked my interest.

BSc Chemical Engineering at UCT.
My strengths at school were Mathematics and Science.
I enjoy problem solving and puzzles – chemical engineering is known to enhance these skills.
I knew that my degree was not limiting and would allow me to follow different career paths – after completing my degree I realised that I did not want to be an engineer.
While at Northstar I have completed all three levels of the CFA program and am currently completing the required work experience.

My eagerness to learn and develop.
My problem solving skills.
My affinity for numbers.
My academic qualifications gives me a different perspective to most of the other team members – its added diversity to our thinking processes.

The fact the industry and markets are dynamic – no day is the same.
The breadth of my role in quantitative analysis for Northstar is literally infinite.
Boredom is never an option – learning is perpetual.

I am the only quants analyst at Northstar, the rest of the team are fundamental research analysts – this means I’m busy and in demand from the portfolio managers. Time management is critical to be highly effective.
I must add, being in demand exposes me to all our portfolio managers – I consider this a real advantage as I learn from each of them.

Northstar has family values, which encourages everyone to work as a team for the benefit of the company rather than for individual wealth. This is important – we have seen in the market this year what greed does to various other listed companies and asset managers.
Our clients come first, again embedding the values for a successful company without greed.
We all share a real passion for investing.