Meet CAIA Charter Holders
Neel Patel, CAIA, Portfolio Management Associate, Morgan Stanley
"One of the primary reasons the current director that I work with within Morgan Stanley hired me was because of the CAIA designation." watch now
Senior Manager - HSS
HSBC Bank (Cayman Islands)
"The biggest challenge I face is gaining a global perspective of the functioning of the hedge fund industry and an understanding of alternative investment vehicles and their risks. The knowledge I learned in the CAIA program is crucial in order for me to properly serve the needs of stakeholders in this vital industry, and in order to identify areas of regulatory weakness. The recent credit crisis has underscored the need for the alternative investments industry to improve its management of risk, to strengthen its valuation processes, and to increase transparency of the investment structures being utilized."
Quantitative Researcher
Taler Asset Management
"The most difficult aspect of my job is to understand how hedge fund managers generate returns. The instruments through which managers invest are often complex and can change rapidly over time. As a risk manager, I need to be on top of these risks by understanding each manager’s investments thoroughly. The CAIA program gave me a much better understanding of the many instruments they employ, which helped me in turn to build a superior risk management system."
Head of Marketing
Societe Generale
"We are in the midst of an industry which is moving very fast both in terms of content and size. The CAIA program was therefore a perfect opportunity for me to step back a bit in order to integrate and consolidate relevant information. In addition, it provides an exciting networking platform for alternative investment professionals and I have met many interesting people since I became a member."
Head of Proprietary Trading
Invest Banca
"The opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of such non-traditional investment markets such as REITs and private equity, led me to the CAIA program. As a portfolio manager and trader, my first goal is to preserve capital by investing through a risk budget framework. We live in a financial system where different asset classes remain deeply interconnected, making it impossible to ignore what’s happening in other investment areas. As an example, the REIT expertise that I gained through the CAIA program has helped me to better understand the various issues surrounding securitization and debt levels. A few years ago, during the hedge fund boom, many people were not aware of the value and necessity of alternative investment education, certification was barely an afterthought. But in the current economic environment, financial professionals with the expertise, credibility and high standards associated with the CAIA designation have become increasingly sought after."
Financial Analysis Manager
CVC Capital Partners
"Enrolling in the CAIA Program is one of the most convenient ways to progressively get a full and sophisticated view on the alternative investment world. The CAIA program really helped me to understand the underlying operations of the private equity sector."
Portfolio Manager & Wealth Advisor
Abundance Wealth Counselors, LLC
"The CAIA Program was challenging, it really was like a mini-Ph.D program in alternative investments. It has allowed me to understand the critical factors in the day-to-day analysis of all of our alternative investments, to better analyze what our clients hold and also to improve my ability to look for future investment opportunities."
Director
Gambaru Investments - United States
"When my company began evaluating and including alternative investments in its recommendations, I decided that I needed to learn more about these products to best serve my clients. I had heard that the CAIA Association was the best resource for learning about alternatives, so I registered to take the Level I exam. The curriculum's emphasis on a broad range of AI strategies has given me the knowledge and background to evaluate the AI universe. Although we create core portfolios using mainly traditional investments and asset classes, some clients come to us with existing alternative investments, so the program helped me determine where AI assets can fit in a portfolio."
Partner
Thoughtful Capital Group
"CAIA can provide another framework for looking at things from the different aspects of alternatives. Being able to step outside of the traditional bank or school training is what allows one to understand where things might stop working. We have seen the failure of structured finance based on flawed application of covariance models and real-estate reshapes everything. I think the CAIA Program will grow more important as people seek to understand the risks involved. Seeing the world from multiple frameworks is a powerful thing. Each sector of the CAIA program is like a view into another country. You may not want to visit or even live there, but it is always useful to understand a bit about it."
Executive VP, Institutional Research & Sales
Altegris Investments
"At the CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) I learned about the futures markets. It was clear to me that actively managed alternative strategies were the best way to manage money for consistent long term. I believe that alternative investments will soon be categorized as “mainstream”. These styles are the future of investing. The CAIA provides the cutting edge education in this space."