Financial Perspectives: Insights from Investment Professionals

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On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with John Ailanjian, CFA, General Partner and CIO for Next Play Capital. John has been instrumental in expanding the firm’s quantitative models to screen and perform due diligence on company investments. He also plays an integral role in the programming and education of Next Play Capital’s Fellowship program.
Prior to joining Next Play Capital, John was the CEO and Founder of Aspen Highland Management, an entity that provided investment advisory services to several high-net-worth families. John currently serves as a Board Member at CFA Society San Francisco and as an Alumni Board Member at Serra High School. He also serves as an Advisor for the Special Olympics of Northern California and several startups, including Obivi, Lightbrite, and Lumen Global Investments.

Listen to the full interview, where John discusses tech innovations and their impact on global markets, staying afloat through market shockwaves, and venture as an asset class.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].
This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.
The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send a message to the Financial Perspectives podcast and receive a shout out!

On the Season 3 premiere of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Octavio Sandoval, CFA, CAIA, Director of Investments at Illumen Capital. Illumen Capital is an alternative investment firm, working to reduce racial and gender bias and help its managers identify, evaluate, and invest in entrepreneurs who have been overlooked and underestimated.
Prior to Illumen Capital, Octavio was a leader at MassMutual Life Insurance Company in building the emerging fund manager program, which allocated $50 million to a wide variety of BIPOC-led funds that invest in BIPOC-led startups. He earned a BS in Applied Economics & Management at Cornell University and holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Octavio formerly served on the alumni advisory council of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP).

Listen to the full interview, where Octavio discusses alternative investing and the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This episode discusses alternative investing, diversity and inclusion, professional designations, volunteerism, and education.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].
This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.
The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send a message to the Financial Perspectives podcast and receive a shout out!

On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Emi Yoshikawa, CFA, VP of Corporate Strategy and Operations at Ripple. Emi is responsible for the company’s corporate strategy and business operations as well as joint venture partnerships. She also serves as a board member of MoneyTap, Inc., which builds a next-gen payments platform by leveraging distributed ledger technology. She is also an adjunct professor at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability (GSAIS) as well as a founding core member of its Blockchain Research Center and is driving blockchain research collaboration between industry and academia.

Listen to the full interview, where Emi shares her insights into the future of Blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and transitioning into Fintech.
This episode discusses Fintech, career transitions, investment management, career development, Blockchain, and cryptocurrency.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].
This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.
The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send a message to the Financial Perspectives podcast and receive a shout out!

On this episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Don Hejna, CFA, CAIA, FDP, Sr. Principal Data Scientist at Accenture and Managing Director at Stantum LLC. He specializes in quantitative finance, big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and portfolio optimization.
He is an active member of CFA Society San Francisco and serves as co-chair on the Member Programming Advisory Council (MPAC).
Listen to the full interview, where Don discusses all things generative AI including large language models such as chatGPT and the impact of AI on careers.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].
This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.
The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.

Send a message to the Financial Perspectives podcast and receive a shout out!

On this month’s episode of the CFA Society San Francisco Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Christopher Browne, CFA, Chief Investment Officer and Partner at Democracy Investments. The Democracy International Fund assesses democratic factors in countries and allocates based on these criteria with the intention of increasing economic growth for democratic countries.
Prior to joining Democracy Investments, Chris was a Solutions Portfolio Manager for Franklin Templeton Investments, where he advised institutions and family offices on multi-asset portfolio construction. Before his employment at Franklin Templeton, Chris was a fixed-income portfolio manager at California Investment Trust (now Shelton Capital), where he managed all fixed income for the firm. He received his MBA in International Business from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management, and has a BA in English from the University of California – Santa Barbara.

Listen to the full interview, where Chris discusses how capital flow can potentially impact a country’s political environment.

This episode discusses ESG, international equity indexes, impact investing, ETFs, the spread of democracy, and sovereign wealth funds.

If you'd like to learn more about the show, have a topic or speaker to suggest, or would like to leave us a comment, email [email protected].
This podcast is produced by CFA Society San Francisco, a not-for-profit professional association, providing professional learning and career resources to over 13,000 investment industry professionals worldwide. To learn more about CFA Society San Francisco, visit our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.
The information contained in this podcast does not constitute financial or investment advice. Please consult your own financial advisor for information concerning your specific situation.