Leaders with Joseph Cass

Brookfield Asset Management CEO Connor Teskey joins Joe Cass to talk about becoming the youngest CEO in the firms history, a letter that changed his life forever, the role of gut feeling in investing - and his playbook for leading a $1 Trillion empire.

00:00 Becoming CEO at 38-years-old

02:17 The letter that changed Connor's life

05:07 Connor telling his wife he got the job

08:00 How much of investing is gut feeling?

09:34 Being the youngest CEO in the room

13:32 The biggest misconceptions about AI

17:50 Are we building too fast in AI

21:00 Will AI create mass wealth or mass unemployment?

23:18 The role of credit ratings in private markets

26:14 Brookfield in 2036 Follow

Joe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcass/

Churchill Asset Management's Ken Kencel joins Joe Cass to talk about the culture and legacy of his old firm Drexel Burnham Lambert, presenting to Michael Milken, starting multiple successful financial businesses and his secret to building strategic, long-term relationships.

00:00 Drexel Burnham Lambert in the 1980's

05:41 The culture and legacy of Drexel

08:23 Presenting to Michael Milken

09:48 Starting Churchill before the financial crisis

13:22 Selling to The Carlyle Group

16:32 Calling up David Rubenstein

18:26 Building a $100Bn AUM business from scratch

28:01 Ken's childhood and being raised by his Uncle

35:57 Ken's secret to building strategic, long-term relationships

Follow Joe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcass/

BlackRock's Global Chief Investment Strategist Wei Li joins Joe Cass to talk about whether the AI boom is a bubble, why she thinks we're still in the early build-out phase, and how a wider-than-ever range of outcomes is reshaping portfolios.

00:00 Is there an AI bubble?

05:08 Day in the life of Wei Li

06:14 How to stand out in an AI world

08:08 Blackrock's internal AI platforms

10:02 Wei's most important datapoint

11:18 Wei's contrarian investment belief

12:31 What is it really like working at Blackrock?

13:37 Inside Blackrock's Investment Committee

14:45 Biggest misconceptions about Blackrock

18:29 Public to Private Markets power shift

21:14 How Wei communicates

23:28 The importance of an S&P rating

24:40 How to be disciplined in a whipsaw market?

26:38 The rise (and fall?) or US market dominance

28:55 Wei's advice to young professionals

Follow Joe on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcass/

In this episode, Joseph speaks with Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS, about what truly separates lasting wealth from wealth that gets eroded, across investing, family dynamics, and generational planning. They explore why inheritance planning can be the hardest financial puzzle wealthy families face, how billionaires think about keeping families aligned, and what happens when emotions, identity, and "behavioral noise" run the portfolio instead of a clear plan.

Chapters:

0:00 The biggest mistake wealthy investors make

1:37 What are the world's wealthiest people most worried about right now?

2:44 Personal habits of billionaire families

4:24 What asset class are wealthy families increasing exposure to?

5:03 The 'Godfather' approach to inheritance

7:21 Succession TV show in real life

9:08 Why do some families retain wealth, and others lose it all?

10:28 The billionaire asset allocation template

12:06 What long term risk are markets underpricing?

13:11 An unstable decade for investors

14:08 UHNWI's view of private markets

16:40 Investing sophistication of UHNWI's

18:10 UHNWI appetite for private credit

19:15 Preferred asset classes of the wealthiest people in the world

20:12 The importance of credit ratings

21:09 Has working with billionaires changed Mark?

22:15 Mark's #1 tip for young people to build wealth today

This episode features Blair Jacobson, Co-President of Ares Management Corporation, discussing private credit investment strategies, risk management, and firm growth. He shares insights on how Ares maintains a conservative approach to avoid losses, the importance of relationships and reputation in deal origination, and the firm's expanding areas like asset-backed credit and wealth management. Blair also touches on the evolving role of credit ratings in private markets, the firm's involvement in sports investments, and offers advice for young professionals entering finance amidst technological disruption.

Chapters:

00:00 What could go wrong in private credit

1:34 How prepared is Ares for a downturn

6:55 Football & sports investment – Chelsea & Athletico Madrid

10:17 Finding sports investment opportunities

10:58 How does Ares find new business

14:57 Finding lucrative deals

16:07 Private credit ratings

18:56 Big insurers moving into private credit

20:13 Building a career in the AI era

22:13 "Relationship training"

24:00 Why is Ares Co-Founder Michael Arougheti so successful

Recording date: 18 February 2026.

Joe Cass sits down with Kunal Shah, Co-CEO of Goldman Sachs International & Global Co-Head of FICC, to unpack the surprising story behind becoming one of the firm's youngest-ever Managing Directors at 27—and what that experience taught him about performance, mentorship, and taking the right risks at the right time.

Timestamps:

00:00 – 5:08 Becoming the youngest ever MD at Goldman Sachs

5:08 – 7:06 Day in the life of a Co-CEO

7:06 – 9:48 Goldman Sachs client concerns on AI

9:48 – 10:25 Goldman Sachs internal AI platform

10:25 – 12:51 How to build successful relationships

12:51 – 16:00 How does Goldman Sachs use credit ratings?

16:00 – 17:45 Day in the life on an EM trading desk at Goldman Sachs

17:45 = 19:37 Phycological impact of financial trading

19:37 – 21:33 Teaching new traders at Goldman Sachs

21:33 – 22:23 Hedge funds looking at Drama graduates

22:23 – 24:07 What do people assume about working at Goldman Sachs that isn't true?

24:07 – 26:13 What is EMPower?

26:13 – 27:19 Kunal's view of Industry TV series and Wall Street movies

27:19 Kunal's alternative career path

Join Joe Cass as he interviews Andrew Balls, PIMCO's CIO for Global Fixed Income, to explore the intricacies of decision-making in finance, particularly under psychological pressure. In this insightful discussion, Andrew shares his strategies for managing stress while making high-stakes decisions that can impact billions of dollars.

Whether you're a finance professional or simply interested in the dynamics of investment management, this conversation offers valuable insights into the future of finance and the evolving landscape of investment strategies.

Chapters: 00:43 – 3:13 The Psychology of Managing Billions of Dollars 3:13 – 5:11 Public Bond Issuance Predictions 5:11 – 11:49 AI/Datacentre Predictions 11:49 – 16:43 The Meta Datacentre Transaction 16:43 – 19:58 How Are PIMCO Using AI To Invest? 19:58 – 23:26 PIMCO's Clients & Their Priorities 23:26 – 25:33 Why Didn't Andrew Choose Politics? 25:33 – 27:30 Andrew's Move From The FT to PIMCO 27:30 – 29:46 Transitioning To Portfolio Management 29:46 – 33:25 Andrew on Mohamed El-Erian & Bill Gross 33:25 – Close Watching Football & Playing The Drums

In this episode, Joseph is joined by Venkat, CEO at Barclays, and Saugata Saha, President at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Topics included Venkat's perspective on the future of the UK economy, his view on private markets, how Saugata see's AI being used in finance, Venkat's most important leadership lesson and both guests discuss their love of cricket.

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUyvQsealzZa24wQkgNXKpsnLHhG1fGBj Watch the episode on our website: https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/podcasts/leaders

In this episode of the Leaders Podcast, host Joseph Cass welcomes back Richard Attias, the Chairman of the Executive Committee at the FII Institute. They dive deep into the upcoming FII9 event in Riyadh, exploring the theme of "Unlocking Keys to Prosperity." Richard shares his unique insights into the private conversations of world leaders and global CEOs, emphasizing the importance of trust and personal relationships in fostering impactful investments.

0:00 Introduction 1:00 Conversations with World Leaders 3:00 The Importance of Trust in Global Investments 4:30 Overview of the FII9 Conference 6:00 The Evolution of FII 10:00 Interviewing President Trump 12:30 Key Concerns of World Leaders Today 15:00 FII vs. Davos: Defining Unique Identities 18:30 Future Aspirations for the FII Institute 21:00 Recommended Reading 23:00 Closing Remarks

Subscribe (Apple Podcasts): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-with-joe-cass/id1515429355 Subscribe (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/5TdWBOagDtFdO6Rr4PtN4W Watch on our website: https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/podcasts/leaders

In this enlightening episode of The Leaders Podcast, host Joe Cass engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Robyn Grew, CEO of Man Group, and Dave Ernsberger, co-President of S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Subscribe (Apple Podcasts): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-with-joe-cass/id1515429355

Subscribe (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/5TdWBOagDtFdO6Rr4PtN4W

Watch on our website: https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/podcasts/leaders