Welcome to CareerCast, where we are delighted to catch up with Paul Smith, CFA, immediate past President and CEO of CFA Institute from 2015–2019 and now an adviser to our organisation. In this podcast, Paul provides an overview of the investment industry and looks at how the career landscape is changing. He notes that the big players are getting bigger, while the smaller firms will have to carve out a niche in the market – all while the nature of the people's roles are constantly developing. Underlining a recurring theme, he observes that new entrants cannot rely on their technical skills alone: they must also be human facing with the ability to communicate.

 

Turning to Asia Pacific and Paul elaborates on the incredible opportunities in the region. Paul touches on how financial technology will change jobs. It’s certainly not a threat, but a tool that enables people to work far more effectively. Indeed, he believes that it’s the single-best thing to happen in the past 50 years.