I first got to know CAIA when I led an HR consulting project to map the future skills needed for the fund management industry in Singapore. It became apparent to me that search for better returns was moving from public to private markets and that CAIA provided the knowledge necessary to address these challenges.
During Singapore’s Covid restrictions, I thought it would be good use of my newly spare time to take the CAIA Level I exam. Having passed the exam, I now had to complete Level II but, this time, without the spare time!! My motivations were varied but I found the most valuable part to be the new knowledge that I acquired. CAIA also keeps me up to date with informative articles and webinars on a range of emerging issues.
Being a CAIA Charterholder is a bonus. It is helping provide a level of credibility in my expert witness work, my executive remuneration advice and in my non-executive company and fund director roles.
About Jon Robinson
My career has been an unusual mix of the hard analytical and the softer people side. Having a mathematical background, it was a natural fit for me to start work as a pensions analyst in an HR consulting firm. But as my consulting skills developed, I became less interested in the structured approaches and more around the people dimension; because fundamentally people are much more complex than finance and answers to problems are not deterministic.
I have worked in a range of consulting areas, including investment and remuneration advice. The first led me to a role in investment management, starting Vanguard’s business in Asia but, after a few years, I realised that executive remuneration advice was the field that I enjoyed the most. I could bring a combined understanding of what motivates people and the relationship between business performance and value creation.
From advising boards on remuneration, the next step has been to help boards improve their own performance. I am particularly interested in the challenge of how non-executive board members can ensure that their company’s culture is fit for purpose.