Advertise on podcast: The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Vadim Grigoryan describes himself as a craft marketer that has grown from a rocket scientist. He focuses on growing brands as “cultural agents” and in building meaning through art, culture and tech in an entertaining way. He focuses in marketing on High Quality, High Aesthetics and High Status. We were both at INSEAD together, and we recently reconnected when he invited me to a book launch for his book, Art Thinking. In the book stresses the value of non-aesthetic inspiration from artists like Marcel Duchamp and the necessity of friction and discomfort for innovation. Gregorian believes that cultural capital is a faster social elevator than financial capital.Our conversation starts with Vadim's move into marketing and the kind of brand building that has become popular among luxury brands. He describes his awakening in the art world and how he started to integrate this passion into his marketing portfolio. We learn about the importance of "experience" and creating aspirational brands, and discuss how the cultural uplift through integrating art in branding can be long-lasting and profound. This discussion of the role of art and culture in social-mobility is a novel one, as is our focus on friction and discomfort, and its importance. A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

Christian Abuide is a macro portfolio manager and asset allocation consultant. At the time of recording he was based in Geneva but he has recently moved to Abu Dhabi where he is continuing to advise on multi-asset allocation and wealth tech solutions. Christian brings an international perspective to our discussion, with more than 20 years’ experience managing multi asset portfolios and asset allocation strategy for major international banks, he is currently collaborating with a leading wealth tech provider in the Middle East. We start by discussing the “anatomy” of multi-asset investing aswell as the roles that such investments play and migrate to a broaderdiscussion of the role of advisors today, and how that role will continue to evolveas technology plays an ever greater role. This naturally leads to a discussionof wealthtech and the factors that will drive the customer adoption as well asfirmwide rollout. A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

Anastasia Amoroso is a Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist at Partners Group. In this role, she provides macroeconomic, private markets, and portfolio management insights to investors. She joined Partners Group from iCapital, where she served as Chief Investment Strategist for the prior four years. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles in investment strategy and portfolio management at J.P. Morgan and Merrill Lynch, bringing over 20 years of experience in the asset and wealth management industry. Anastasia is a regular contributor across leading financial media, including CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business.. Our conversation charts the experience in "doing the reps" that Anastasia gathered early in her career and how that taught her to be prepared, to present and to show up. We discuss the nature of the role of the strategist and how it relates to a client of private equity firm, and the interaction and intersection between public and private markets.We end with reflections on what it means follow your destiny on the job front and the importance of playing the long game. A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

Joey Mason is a Venture Partner in Life Sciences at Claret Capital Partners where he has been since September 2024. He has over 30 years’ experience in the sector, and has significant experience in most segments of the Life Sciences industry – medtech, pharma/ biotech, diagnostics, health IT and techbio. He has served on the boards of 20 private and public companies in Ireland, Europe and the USA. Our conversation covers the dynamics of venture investing - particularly in the biotech sector, and the differences between the European and US venture ecosystems. He stresses the need for speed and confidence in execution in Europe, and the massive potential that bold investing techniques can have. This is a salutary reminder of the competitive nature of this field. A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

In this bonus podcast we bring you a short conversation with long-term guest and supporter of Fiftyfaces - Jenny Segal, who has just published her sixth book On Motivation - The Blueprint for Success, which is being launched today - October 6, 2026. In this conversation - our third with Jenny - you can find the rest of Jenny's podcasts on our webpage - fiftyfaceshub.com - she speaks about her "motivation" for writing her sixth book and the surprising insights that she derived from her various interviews with professionals across different disciplines. You can find her video here, a link to her website here, and the book on amazon here.

Anwiti Bahuguna, who is Co-Chief Investment Officer at Northerm Trust Asset Management, where she has spent over three years. She was previously Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Multi-Asset Strategy for Columbia Threadneedle Investments, and has a PhD in economics from Northeastern University. Our conversation starts with her study of labor economics inspired by her mother, who was also an economist. We discuss how she considered an academic career, then evolved into an asset manager, when she discovered a passion for that instead. We dig deeply into the role of multi-asset strategies and how this strategy has matured over time, as well as the differing way that clients are thinking about them in a portfolio. We compare the role of client solutions - whether custom indices for very large institutional asset owners, or index plus returns. We discuss customisation as a "base layer" in client solutions today, as well as the differing levels of risk appetite. A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

Keith Williams is Managing Partner – Credit Strategies and Chief Investment Officer at Crestline Investors Inc. Crestline has a suite of strategies across direct lending, fund liquidity solutions, insurance and reinsurance. Keith was previously a director at Goldman Sachs and an Executive VP at McKinsey in their Recovery and Transformation unit. Our conversation with Keith starts with the work ethic that was instilled in him during his young adult years and how the years working in restructuring shaped his approach to difficult assignments and thinking about tradeoffs. We move then to his launch of the credit strategy within Crestline and some of the ups and downs that came along that trajectory. We end with reflections on what really matters, pulling the lens back to focus on the importance of family and balance. A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

Robert Holley is Executive Director and Pensions Investment Manager at the $4 bn Baltimore City Fire and Police Employees' Retirement System. He has had a career that has spanned both the private and public sectors in financial services. Our conversation charts his journey from the private to the public sector and the investment beliefs that he has developed over time. At Baltimore F&P he has taken a particular interest in achieving excellence in governance, given the constraints that are natural in public fund organisations. This has involved a compelling YouTube video (linked here in this Linked In post)  which touches on resource building, partnerships and collaboration and how to scale a lean organisation. We discuss the current asset allocation at the fund, how it has evolved over time and how it is likely to evolve given the current funding challenges faced by public funds. Finally we look at investment office governance and how to create a sustainable organisation where the centre holds for the long haul.A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

This bonus podcast captures some of the audio we recorded in London on September 4, when we were delighted to host Mark Steed, CIO of the $27 bn+ Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System for a breakfast in London. Our agenda was ambitious, intending to cover three main areas: Football, AI and Decision-Making. We barely got through the first one. We started with the investment by the fund in Ipswich Town football club - an investment made post-Covid that returned (based on publicly available information) 10x on its initial investment to date, traced the value that the fund created through infrastructure and personnel investment and discussed the future for other similar football club investments.  The discussion revealed a fascinating intersection of luck, skill and aligning stars - starting with a bold investor with a streamlined and friction-free governance regime. The investment at the time was less than 0.4% of the pension fund’s size so line-by-line approval was not necessary. The management of the investment from afar was achieved by employing a liaison from one of the fund’s manager relationships - a real estate expert, who proved to be critical in catalysing the necessary real estate and infrastructure improvements in the stadium and surrounding facilities. The value-add approach extended to deepening and broadening the team too - the ultimate investment in talent - paying up for star players, investing in a good manager. This proved to be pivotal to enhancing the morale and the performance of the team.  The team just secured a promotion to the Premier League earlier this year, its second since the PSPRS investment (its first in 2024-2025 was short-lived), and the pay-packets and team valuation have soared. We discussed the surge in interest in investing in sports teams, the price inflation that is accompanying it and the perceptible development of sport as an investment that is now taken seriously. It is not just a game. Finally - because all stories need both a story arc and an ending, we discussed the recent reduction in the PSPRS stake in Ipswich Town and the entry of Ed Sheeran among a group of other investors. It is true that sports are unifying - uniting a politician, a CIO and a musician.In this follow up podcast recorded 6 days after that breakfast we finished the thoughts that we didn't have time to capture and have a full discussion on the topic of AI and decision making. A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

I’m joined today by Cary Krosinsky who appeared on the podcast in 2021. I have put his previous podcast is here.  I invited Cary back after 5 years which have been transformative for the field of sustainability with notable headwinds and tailwinds that have shifted the emphasis of the field. He has written a new book called Transition Momentum, and in advance of its official launch in Montreal at BDC on September 8. See www.sfipublishing.com In our conversation we discuss his activity over the past five years and the central argument of the book, which is that we're not making sufficient momentum towards the sort of transitions that we require on the environmental side. That's obviously primarily climate change, but it's also on the ground environmental degradation that's occurring in different parts of the world.  We discuss why GDP may not necessarily be the best way to measure success and end with the 10 misunderstandings of sustainable financing. This and many more frameworks form the basis for this challenge to conventional thinking and hope for a richer future.A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

Ali Houshmand, leads the non-traded REIT initiatives for EQT real estate, where he manages the formation, strategy, and portfolio construction of EQRT - EQT’s first open-ended real estate vehicle in the non-traded REIT space. He previously spent close to a decade at the Texas Permanent School Fund, where he helped build that $50 billion endowment's real estate program. We discuss his career journey and his considerable amount of time spent "in the trenches" of property development and negotiation. We discuss his LP-centric approach while at the Texas Permanent School Fund and how he leaned into championing LP viewpoints in which he offered considerable constructive feedback to manager relationships. He highlights the importance of asking thoughtful questions and building relationships, which AI may not replace. At Texas Permanent, he helped grow the real estate allocation from 6% to 11%, focusing on industrial and operator-led strategies. At EQT, he launched EQRT, emphasizing the need for a clean balance sheet and unique operational capabilities. He also stressed the importance of AI in enhancing investment processes while maintaining human judgment and relationship A special thank you to our sponsors at Baillie Gifford and GCM Grosvenor.  Baillie Gifford is a long-term investment manager, dedicated to discovering the innovations and changemakers that deliver exceptional growth opportunities for you. GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider, with more than $90 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return strategies. For over 50 years, the firm has helped investors navigate the complexities of alternative investing through a flexible, open-architecture platform.   GCM Grosvenor is also focused on what’s next. Through its Elevate strategy, the firm supports the next generation of private equity leaders, making seed investments in emerging managers and providing the resources, network, and strategic guidance needed to help them grow.   With nearly $800 million raised for its inaugural Elevate Fund, GCM Grosvenor is helping drive innovation and expand access across private markets.   Learn more at gcmgrosvenor.com.

After an extremely fast-paced summer we are delighted to be back for Series 4 of the Fiftyfaces Podcast for 2026. This series dips into dips into venture capital and private credit, does a double dip into real estate. We explore the challenges of allocator governance (for families and public funds alike) and end with a passionate discussion of how art can transform brands.  We startt with a conversation that gets to the heart of how AI can be a liberating force and hear one of the most intriguing transformations of AI - enabling people to be a chief question officer. We discuss how Europe needs to enhance its speed if it is to compete when it comes to venture capital (why time is the enemy) hear about the advantages of transparency when leading, why being true to oneself is essential, and about why customisation is the future.We explore the impact of wealth tech on private wealth and advising individuals (hint: will lead to more customised solutions) and look at what the new wave of family offices actually want in their advisors. We hear also from a public fund leader about how he is being creative doing more with less and never compromising on quality.We end with a powerful bonus episode about the power of art and culture to elevate brands as well as career trajectories Tune in from September 2 and every Wednesday for a new episode. You can follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts. Please like and follow us.

Maggie Coleman is Chief Investment Officer Real Estate Equity, North America as well as Global Head of Client and Portfolio Solutions at Manulife Investment Management.  Prior to joining Manulife, she spent most of her career in real estate and capital markets.  Our conversation traces her journey in which she considered an academic life, spent time in her own firm, and cycled through various firms across the spectrum of real estate. We discuss the key drivers of real estate returns, its role in a portfolio, how clients are using real estate today and what she sees as the compelling opportunity set today. We hear about the importance of "going to know", and how there is little substitute for on the ground experience and lessons learned through doing, and in particular with developing one's network early. The Fiftyfaces Podcast is supported by Franklin Templeton and Alvine Capital. Franklin Templeton is a global investment management firm that provides a broad range of investment solutions, including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, wealth management, and technology-enabled financial services. Founded in 1947, the firm manages approximately $1.8 trillion in assets under management (AUM) and serves individual and institutional investors across more than 150 countriesFounded in 2005, Alvine Capital is a European focused private capital advisory and placement agent that provides capital raising services to investment managers. From its base in London and its office in Stockholm it creates bespoke capital raising programs that blend appropriate investor targeting and sophisticated marketing to deliver a fundraise aligned with institutional expectations.

Professor Crawford Spence is a Professor of Accounting at King’s College London and an experienced researcher and educator across an array of business disciplines with specific expertise in financial service professions. He is a genuinely international scholar, having lived and taught on a number of continents and also happens to have been my PhD supervisor.  His most recent book is Inertia – Purposeful Inefficiences in Financial Markets (co-authored with Yuval Millo and James Valentine), and our podcast explores some of the books main themes and assertions here. We start with the idea of purposeful inertia – as it exists between different groups within the financial sector – explore what is this and is it ever likely to be broken? We discuss the “ossified ideas”  that he had in mind when thinking about this.  Digging deeper into inertia we ask if inertia and long-term relationships facilitate the building of trust and validation networks?  The research is particularly focused on the social structures that support our economic systems, and we ask how these are shifting particularly with AI and/or hybrid working? Finally we ask if everything in financial markets is noise and end by discussing whether he believes in any form of investment alpha.The Fiftyfaces Podcast is supported by Franklin Templeton and Alvine Capital. Franklin Templeton is a global investment management firm that provides a broad range of investment solutions, including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, wealth management, and technology-enabled financial services. Founded in 1947, the firm manages approximately $1.8 trillion in assets under management (AUM) and serves individual and institutional investors across more than 150 countriesFounded in 2005, Alvine Capital is a European focused private capital advisory and placement agent that provides capital raising services to investment managers. From its base in London and its office in Stockholm it creates bespoke capital raising programs that blend appropriate investor targeting and sophisticated marketing to deliver a fundraise aligned with institutional expectations.

Brett Hickey  is founder and chief executive officer of Star Mountain Capital, a specialized private investment firm with approximately $5 billion in assets under management, focused exclusively on the US lower middle market. Since founding the firm in 2010 he has built Star Mountain into a differentiated investment platform spanning private equity, private credit and secondary solutions, with a focus on low market correlated returns, alpha generation and tax advantage strategies. He's over 25 years of experience across private investing and investment banking, and prior to founding Star Mountain was with Citigroup Global Markets in New York. Our conversation starts with his upbringing and how finance was a second choice but ultimately a fulfilling one. We move then to discuss how he discovered the opportunity in the lower middle market and ultimately made the decision to found Star Mountain. We turn then to discussing his value system and unique leadership style. The star in Star Mountain is broken down as follows - S is to think like a shareholder, T is building trust, A is accountability, R is respect.The Fiftyfaces Podcast is supported by Franklin Templeton and Alvine Capital. Franklin Templeton is a global investment management firm that provides a broad range of investment solutions, including mutual funds, ETFs, alternative investments, wealth management, and technology-enabled financial services. Founded in 1947, the firm manages approximately $1.8 trillion in assets under management (AUM) and serves individual and institutional investors across more than 150 countriesFounded in 2005, Alvine Capital is a European focused private capital advisory and placement agent that provides capital raising services to investment managers. From its base in London and its office in Stockholm it creates bespoke capital raising programs that blend appropriate investor targeting and sophisticated marketing to deliver a fundraise aligned with institutional expectations