60 Seconds With... Unigestion CEO Fiona Frick
We all know what they are experts on, but we want to know what makes our speakers tick. In this series, we sit down with some of our key speakers for 60 seconds to find out a bit more about them before they take to the stage at FundForum International in Berlin, 6-8 June 2016.
60 Seconds with...
Fiona Frick, CEO, Unigestion
1. What is your personal philosophy?
Since I was a child I always loved Sartre’s concept that ”Existence precedes essence”. This meant for me that we are free to write our own story but also responsible for it. It means that we are what we do and how we act will determine our story. I like this philosophy because it gives me freedom but also the idea that I am responsible for my choices that will constitute me.
2. If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
I would be a student of a Zen master. I enjoy meditation and practice it at home quite often to detach myself from my day to day worries. I lived for one year in Japan when I was a student and learned about Zen philosophy which has a very strong influence on many aspects of Japanese life - martial arts, painting, poetry, flower arranging, the tea-ceremony, architecture, gardening etc.. I love the serenity this philosophy provides and would love to have a master to whom I could ask all my question on how to reach such a serenity which is quite different from my tense temperament.
3. Disruption is always on the tip of everyone’s tongue. In your opinion, what is going to be the ultimate game-changer for the finance industry?
Some online firms, such as Google, Facebook or Amazon, could decide to enter the asset management industry as they are better equipped than traditional asset managers in terms of their ability to deal with large amounts of data, the amount of information they hold about end-investors and their ability to provide a seamless experience to their clients. Big internet names branching out into asset management could present opportunities for traditional asset managers. Google or Facebook could make a lot of money by setting up their own platforms to distribute other asset managers’ funds, rivalling the platforms of the major banks.
Would an investor buy a fund managed by Google? That’s still to be proven. Would they buy a fund distributed by Google? Most probably, yes.
In a period of robotisation of entire industrial processes, asset managers need to ask themselves what they can provide their clients that a robot, social media platform or algorithm cannot. It is vital that asset managers invest in technology. They will have to become technological companies.
4. What's your favourite thing about Berlin?
The spirit of the city, its resilience as it has survived two wars and managed to reinvent itself.
5. What are you most looking forward to at Fund Forum 2016?
Everything about Fintech and new Technologies and how we can build more intuitive solutions for our clients.
Fiona Frick will be appearing in the FutureFinance Forum at FundForum International, taking place in Berlin, 6-8 June 2016.