When did your interest in financial markets start?
My interest in financial markets started in grade 8, when my Economics class partook in the JSE Challenge. Each student created a demo portfolio and received a fictional amount of capital with which to trade with over the course of the year. The Global Financial Crisis was still fresh in the minds of market participants with adverse impacts lingering. Therefore, it was an intriguing time to get sucked into the investing world.
What did you study and why?
I studied a Bachelor of Business Science: Economics Honours and Law at the University of Cape Town. The degree has many streams, but with my high school studies instilling and nurturing a curiosity for Economics, it was an area I was enthusiastic to further explore. At registration I discovered a B.BusSci stream that included Law. It provided me with the opportunity of covering both the first- and second-year Law curriculum. After my graduation I decided that it would be highly beneficial to complete my Law studies. In the following two years I completed the third year and fourth year Law courses, therefore rounding off my tertiary studies at the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB).
What do you think equips you to do this job properly?
I am a diligent and well-organized individual, with the ability to remain calm and calculated under pressure. Being able to execute ideas or responses in a consistent manner, within a defined and robust structural framework, is crucial to unlock value over time. My willingness to learn and grow ensures that I will look to confront new or developing areas within the field, with the aim of better understanding any risks and opportunities at play.
What do you love about investing?
I thoroughly enjoy engaging in the detail and trying to best understand the underlying drivers or factors of an outcome. In the fixed income space, it is important to keep a finger on the pulse. Remaining well informed of the macroeconomic, monetary, fiscal and political events, both locally and globally, is essential. As a result, I end up feeling better connected and in tune with the daily evolving’s of the world.
What do you find the most challenging part of your role to be?
You can’t accurately predict the future, but you can plan for it. Planning is a task filled with the toughest challenges. Add to that your accountability to clients and the pressure can stack up. There are no two ways about it, the groundwork must be put in to best understand the current environment in which we are operating and further ensure adequate preparation for what may lie ahead.
Why do you think clients will do well at Northstar?
The team at Northstar is highly talented yet down to earth. We take great pride in our client relationships and fully understand our responsibility that stems from these relationships. As a boutique asset manager, client communications can be fluid. This allows clients to get better insights into the financial environment they are investing within and ultimately be able to understand the risks and performances of their investments more fully. Furthermore, Northstar employees invest alongside their clients, and I believe this provides a greater connectedness going forward.