I believe we can all agree that the professional world gets more and more complex every day. I think this is a wonderful thing as it pushes us to challenge ourselves to continuously adapt to these surrounding complexities. The same is true of the financial services and investment management industry. Nowadays, having an expertise in "mainstream" assets such as listed equity or bonds is no longer enough to bring added value to our clients.
Therefore, I decided to earn the CAIA designation and pursue the CFA Charter as well. In doing so, I wanted to be exposed to alts insights and gain the competencies necessary to evaluate, analyze and select private investments efficiently. The CAIA curriculum has allowed me to pursue new professional opportunities as a strategic advisor for technology companies. In this capacity, I evaluate business models growth potential and assist institutional investors with due diligence and sustainability analysis for start or scale-up organizations prior to selecting services for investment.
As a huge fan of neuroscience and its impacts on financial decision making, I try to follow the latest trends & analysis on the subject. As a true business book geek, I try to read at least one per week. One of the most interesting ones I have read lately is the Mental Game of Trading: A System for Solving Problems by Jared Tendler. In it, he explains that it is not emotions such as anger, fear, exuberance, or frustration that are the main issue we face in our lives, but the triggers that are at their origin. What matters is identifying these triggers to ensure we manage our decision-making process efficiently. I highly recommend this book to everyone!
Earning the CAIA Charter was a real boost to my career. And I adore belonging to this community because everyone makes themselves available to help Members in many ways.
About Olus Kayacan
Olus Kayacan has over 25 years of experience working in institutional banking, asset management, prime brokerage, RegTech and data analytics.
He has held several key positions in the launch and successful development of several B2B financial services business lines, with solid experience in building high performing teams, people management, and serving global institutional and corporate entities. As an investments management, RegTech, and data analytics expert, he promotes the adoption of digital, data and tech solutions to bring exponential efficiencies to his clients.
He also has a strong track record in program management within large and complex organizations, managing projects with up to 100 direct stakeholders involved. He currently acts as a Board level strategic advisor within several start-ups, scale-ups, and established companies.