ACEVO’s digital leadership festival is back this year from 2-4 November. The full programme is available on the website and in this blog series, you will get to know our speakers a little bit better.
At #ACEVOFest21, Helena and James will give an overview of investment markets, assessing the challenges ahead for UK investors. They will attempt to explain the impact of COVID-19 on future returns as well as how to access the best investment opportunities in the future.
James Hutton, partner, Sarasin & Partners
What makes you hopeful?
When managing investment portfolios (especially for charities) there is always something to worry about – be it geopolitics, financial conditions or reputational risk. But, in the end, human ingenuity wins through and I think 2020 was a great reminder of that – particularly with how quickly the vaccine was created.
What do you know now that you didn’t know at the beginning of 2020?
Lots of things! Mainly how quickly we adapt to different environments and situations – be it all the remote working or home schooling etc. It might not be better, but, for the large part, we all managed to get through it.
What message you’d like to send to yourself to read a year from now?
Exercise more!
What do you miss the most from working at the office and what you love the most from working remotely?
I miss the interaction with colleagues and the variety that comes from being in London. However, I don’t miss the commute at all and working from home means I get to see my two boys before they go to school and when they get home (which I used to miss).
Helena Wakefield, investment manager, Sarasin & Partners
What makes you hopeful?
A little while back, I read Matt Ridley’s ‘The Rational Optimist’, which if you haven’t read I would recommend (or if you want a more bite size edition, Jordan Peterson conducts a very good interview with Matt Ridley on ‘The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast’ called ‘Rational Optimism’). In it, he develops the argument that so far society has innovated its way out of every obstacle it has encountered, and so despite the overwhelming pessimism surrounding the world’s future, we have every reason to believe that through technological advancement and innovative thinking, we will continue to do just that. This idea gives me a lot of hope given the current climate barrel we are staring down.
Can you recommend: a book, a series/film, a podcast?
I love a good podcast and listen to a few different ones, mood dependent. For a lighter listen, I find Simon Sinek an engaging speaker and so enjoy dipping into his podcast ‘A Bit of Optimism’. For some slightly more thought-provoking listening, ‘Macro Voices’ and ‘The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast’ are worth tapping into too.
What do you miss the most from working at the office and what you love the most from working remotely?
I started work for Sarasin’s during lockdown around a year ago and so have only just started going into the office. So, for me, I missed out on meeting the team in person and experiencing the office dynamic/culture. But on the flip side, working remotely enabled me to easily arrange meetings with a wide range of colleagues, who I might not have as easily had contact with, as well as being able to be a virtual fly on the wall in others and listen in on virtual, educational seminars.
What’s your favourite thing to do for your own wellbeing?
Easy – being outdoors no matter the weather always turns my day around for the better.
