Tag Archives: In Conversation With

Published: Tuesday October 31 2017Renaud de Planta argues that if the majority of investors embrace index funds, they are likely to lead to less efficient markets and weaker corporate governance.To its growing band of proponents, passive investing is looked on as a panacea. Equity tracker funds, we’re told, will rid the finan­cial market of toxic elements and restore it to full health.At first glance, it’s a persuasive argu­ment. Poorly performing and expen­sive active managers have lingered...

Published: Monday October 30 2017Ivan Lansberg and Wendy Ulaszek say that in addition to running the company, an integral part of a successful family enterprise leader’s job is tending to the needs of the family which owns the businesses, whether or notthey are a family memberDuring a recent meeting with the chief executive of a large family-owned European company, we were discussing his succession plan when he stepped aside to take a call. It was from the daughter of a family shareholder on...

Published: Friday October 27 2017Kyongchol (Richard) Kim, Managing Director of a Singapore-based single family office (SFO), describes how he came into his current role, what the investment strategy is, and the advice he would give to anyone thinking of setting up a family office.After working for a government-owned finan­cial institution in South Korea, Kim recognised that his country’s bond and equity markets were too small for its fast-growing pension funds and insurance companies. Buoyed...

Published: Thursday October 26 2017Real Estate expert and founder of Mack Real Estate Group Richard Mack tells Pictet’s Laurent Gabert about his latest venturesAlthough Mack Real Estate is a newcomer, you have been a leading investor in this field for decades. Could you describe your latest venture?In 2013, after selling the real estate private equity business AREA – formerly known as Apollo Real Estate Advisors – our family’s aspiration was for a new firm that would think like a family...

Published: Monday October 23 2017Mattias Ljungman, co-founder and partner at venture capital firm Atomico, says that whatever Donald Trump may want you to think, he and politicians like him are not the decisive change-makers of our age.  It is clear that governments cannot solve our greatest problems on their own. Many of the challenges the world faces today have been on the agenda for years. Two of the greatest – climate change and the provision of adequate and manageable healthcare – have...

Published: Friday October 20 2017Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England between 2003 and 2013, discusses monetary policy since the financial crisis and what comes next with Cesar Perez Ruiz, Chief Investment Officer of Pictet Wealth Management.You once said that central banks need to be ‘as boring as possible’. Is that still the case today?Central banks should respond to developments in the economy as predictably as possible, so the news should not be about debates within a policy...

Published: Monday August 21 2017A former hacker has become a neuroscientist whose research into the human brain is revealing how memory works, the meaning of dreams and the role of the subconscious in making decisions and shaping human behaviour.Professor Moran Cerf began his career in the Israeli military intelligence as a professional hacker. After four years in the army, he set up a company to use his skills commercially, working for companies and government organisations to help find...

Published: Wednesday August 16 2017HackerOne’s network of more than 100,000 ethical hackers can help online organisations eradicate vulnerabilities in their internet systems that could be exploited by criminals, says Mårten Mickos, its Chief Executive OfficerBarely a month goes by without reports of large companies and government bodies suffering cyber-attacks by criminal hackers and other hostile organisations. A USD92 billion cyber-security industry has grown up which tries to fend off...

Published: Monday August 14 2017Geneva-based SGS provides teams of experts to help businesses become faster, simpler and more efficient,  ensuring compliance with fast-evolving global standards and local regulations that protect customers and consumers.In the early days of SGS, the company specialised in inspecting shipments of grain arriving in large French ports from elsewhere in Europe, North America and further afield. Its network of inspectors would verify the quantity and quality of...

Published: Monday August 07 2017Two entrepreneurs who created a service which shreds paper documents on-site for clients have developed techniques for destroying redundant hard drives, putting the information they hold beyond the reach of competitors and criminals.There is much talk in business of “the paperless office”, but as technology advances, more and more paper is used in the workplace – increasing the amount that needs to be destroyed to preserve confidentiality. That insight was...