As an investment management specialist at Spoorwegpensioenfonds, Frederik Mannaerts is committed to staying current on the latest strategies and best practices in asset management. By attending the Investment Management Workshop (IMW), he was able to exchange industry perspectives with his peers while gaining valuable insights from Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty.
I chose to attend the IMW for a variety of reasons: to be surrounded by a diverse group of investment management enthusiasts; to think more structurally about the challenges facing institutional investors; and to be introduced to the Harvard environment and, in particular, the case methodology. If I wish to pursue an MBA in the future, this program has given me a perfect introduction to being a student in a leading business school.
My main objective was to learn how to apply the knowledge I gained from my CFA studies in real-life decision-making settings. Looking back, I believe that the CFA program has given me a solid understanding of investment management. However, the IMW taught me that there is much more to executive decision-making.
I switched from a private-equity start-up to a large sector-wide pension scheme in the role of 'investment management specialist' – covering all aspects of institutional money management.
That's a difficult question, as I was impressed with the entire structure of the program. The program provides the right mix of classroom discussion, group work, and networking. You surely end the day with loads of ideas and energy.
What resonated most came from those classroom discussions where one of my peers was able to turn the debate around completely.
In this regard, I remember a discussion we had about the leadership challenges facing Vanguard as well as the entire industry. I also remember a vivid debate about the duty and responsibility of institutional investors to act as corporate stewards in an era of (increased) adoption of lower cost index-tracking/ passive investment products. I also enjoyed discussing the considerations in changing the organizational setup at Harvard Management Company and, in particular, the adoption of a generalist, rather than a specialist, approach to portfolio management.
I believe that the program is a perfect fit for individuals seeking to expand their perspective. However, it's not necessarily a good fit for someone seeking exact answers to wider industry challenges. Looking back, one aspect that benefitted me the most was my solid preparation before the program started. The same was true for my peers.
I was positively surprised by the fact that the program is not about finding exact answers but rather challenging the deeper questions. I noticed that my peers, the academic staff, and HBS gave me the best opportunity to accomplish my goals.
Finally, I was positively surprised to learn that the IMW is much more than a workshop—it's a strong community to which many professionals return a number of times during their careers!
