Flex and the City - Great leadership in financial services

It was a pleasure to host Falk Fischer on Flex and the City, where we delved into his 6 C’s: Cuba, China, Culture, Connection, Change, and Camping. 

Falk and I discussed the continual nature of change, encouraging us to take control and steer it. He also stressed the importance of understanding various cultures, arguing that this comprehension is crucial for appreciating different viewpoints. 

He expressed his view that the main assets in Financial Services are human beings; and we talked about the importance of the power of connecting with clients and employees on a personal level, even in challenging times.

Falk believes that future leaders should pursue a good education, gain international experience, value perspectives, and welcome change. He also is passionate about the power and impact of honest dialogue.

Thank you, Falk, for sharing your great insights and experiences. You are truly an authentic human being who represents the power of perspective.

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲!

Had a fantastic time interviewing Enrique Sacau on Flex and the City! As the Group CEO of Kneip, Enrique shared his insightful thoughts on appreciating what we have and avoiding making things too complex in general and also in the fund industry. 

He also shed light on the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the ever-changing business and geopolitical landscape. 

Thanks for sharing your wisdom, Enrique! We all need to stop the Drama would be my big takeaway from this great conversation. His humility was truly inspiring.

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲!

Had a fantastic time interviewing Benjamin Collette on #FlexandtheCity. 🎙️ ✨ 

We delved into how the financial industry can learn from the kitchen—just as the right mix of ingredients makes a great dish, diversity in financial services teams can lead to great success. 🥘 🚀 

He also shed light on the preconceived notions surrounding financial services being an exclusive club. His dedication to breaking down these barriers through financial education is inspiring.

Thank you, Benjamin, for sharing your wisdom and expertise. 🌟 

Wonderful to interview Elaine Chim from Apex Group who brings both Yin and Yang to financial services.

Elaine was born and raised in Glasgow to Asian immigrants and after starting her career in London has spent the last decade in New York 

Yin and Yang is the symbol of harmony that reminds us that life is a balancing act and we are most fulfilled when we learn to embrace its dualities. 

Elaine talks about the need to embrace empathy and foster a balanced approach in leadership to ensure sustainable performance.  She believes that by integrating empathy and pragmatism, we can create a financial ecosystem that is not only prosperous but also fair and inclusive. 

Join Elaine as she discusses how financial services can harness the power of perspectives, and an appreciation for different cultures in order to bring a sense of harmony and balance to the industry. 

Flex and the City is back after the summer vacation and who better to interview than Martin Vogel the Global Strategy Officer of Waystone. 🎧 🎙️ 🌟 

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀. 

Plus, we'll be discussing his 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺, and how his military background has shaped his view on what it takes to lead. 

We'll also 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, his vision on the balance of regulation, and his perspective on the challenges and opportunities resulting from AI. 🤖 

Join us for this exciting conversation and discover how this industry stalwart continues to break barriers and redefine the role of leadership in the financial sector. 

Don't forget to tune in, like, share, and subscribe to our channel for more inspiring conversations from leaders around the globe! 💫 🌍 

Flex and the City is coming to you from Switzerland🇨🇭 today, where we had the fantastic opportunity to sit down with the self-proclaimed "fund nerd" Norbert Schmitz.

Norbert shares his unique perspective on leadership and communication in the funds industry, drawing from the intriguing analogy of pets and their owners. He believes that, much like the special bond and understanding between pets and their owners, leaders and their teams in the funds industry should also share a strong connection.

During our in-depth conversation, Norbert emphasizes the significance of trust, transparency, and empathy in effective leadership. He also shares how his passion for people❤️ drives him to engage in various humanitarian endeavours.

In addition, Norbert offers his insights on the current trends and challenges within the funds industry and shares his predictions for what lies ahead. He highlights the urgent need for the industry to scale up and take proactive measures to retain its top talent.

We truly enjoyed our time with Norbert, gaining invaluable insights from his extensive experience in the funds industry. 

Don't miss this captivating conversation with one of the industry's most enthusiastic and knowledgeable professionals. Follow Flex and the City for more updates and join the discussion on the latest developments in the world of finance. 

I loved interviewing Michael Fox - he gave me real goosebumps.

From discussing his humble beginnings to his unwavering passion for encouraging new talent to join the financial services industry, Michael's story is truly remarkable. 

Michael discusses the importance of social mobility and highlights key elements of great leadership: effective communication, authenticity, having a clear vision, empowering others, and fostering inclusivity!

But what really gave me goosebumps was hearing about his brave and emotional journey of belatedly coming out and living his truth. 🏳️‍🌈✨ His words of wisdom for young people to embrace and live their authentic selves are both powerful and much-needed. 🙌

Claire Marshall is an agent of change driven by doing the right thing.

From beginnings in the North of England and "meandering" her way to the role of Chief Internal Auditor for abrdn, Claire shares her views on harnessing the collective, the power of diversity of thought and the need for resilience (huge positives in that word meandering but you need to listen to the podcast) 😀.

Claire brought a huge amount of joy and personal wisdom to the interview. She shared with vulnerability and humility her life-changing experience of Breast Cancer and how that has as a human being, mother and leader.

We discussed the parallels between great parenting and leadership and agreed that coaching (asking not telling) and encouraging agency are key ingredients for healthy, resilient kids and sustainable organisations.

Sarah Sinclair is baking a new future for the financial services industry. 🎂 I met Sarah less than a month ago and it was quickly evident we shared alignment and passion on many subjects. As a result, I invited her to record this wonderful interview.

Sarah stands for putting people at the heart of the financial services industry. As a leader in technology, she says that a symbiosis between AI and Humans needs to be even better leveraged, without fear!!

She is passionate about restoring the image and trust of the financial services industry - not just for the consumers, but also for the individuals working inside the sector.

Sarah explains how Change Gap guides their clients through the mountainous terrain of regulation and transformation - which for some might leave them lost halfway between base camp and the summit with a storm coming in! 🏔

Challenge, Change, Community ...... get Curious!

I'm grateful to know Janusz Lorenc, and every time I meet him, I learn something.

It was such a joy to interview him. Janusz is the epitome of humility and sage wisdom who talked to me about the importance of values, understanding human beings, and the power that “flow” can bring to the financial services industry.

Janusz knows the importance of connections, perspectives, making time for decision-making, and the need to slow down to speed up.

Fundamentally, Janusz is a man of service, serving his family, his clients, his friends, and his employees.

Enjoy every minute of this podcast—a true Shuhari moment (learning, detaching, and mastering) that you can even try while listening to.