Firstly, CAIA has been the most directly relevant study I have ever undertaken. It increased my technical knowledge substantially, challenged me to upskill and has given credibility to my work in the institutional investment space.
By chance my career path led me to working in alternative investments and I didn't have the technical knowledge required for some of the strategies and asset classes I was working in. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding. Completing CAIA gave me significantly greater confidence and enabled me to start having more meaningful conversations with investors, which in turn has developed into deeper relationships.
There is so much in liquid alternatives, it is hard to be an expert in everything unless you are the Portfolio Manager, but the depth of academic research and new technologies constantly emerging means that there is always something new and exciting to learn. I really enjoy the challenge.
Asia Pacific is very unique. It is not homogenous, but rather each country has it own regulations, interests and requirements. For example, Japan, South Korea and Australia are essentially domestically driven markets. You will need local knowledge and likely partners to work in these countries without a presence on the ground. Others are more flexible, but again local knowledge is required for each different country.
Dream big! My first boss who is still someone who has had an enormous influence on my personal and professional development used to say that to me. If you find someone who believes in you, believe them. They can often see something that you can't.
I heard on a podcast once that there are two lotteries in life: 1. The country you were born in 2. The parents that you were born to. If you were born in a country that enables education and freedom, and you had parents who cared about you regardless of wealth, then you have won the lottery. The rest is up to you to succeed. Anything is possible if you have on the lottery. You just need to dream big.
About Alexandra McGuigan, CAIA
Alexandra McGuigan, CAIA is the Head of APAC, responsible for setting up the Qblue Balanced presence in the region and providing solutions for institutional clients across liquid markets. She was nominated for the Cartier Women's Initiative and also for the Bloomberg New Voices program. She has been a CAIA Member since 2017.