LSE Focal Point Podcast

Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Lisa Quest, Partner and Head of UK and Ireland at Oliver Wyman. Lisa has nearly 15 years of consulting experience across New York and London, and also worked in private equity. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from the LSE and is a Member of the Board of Trustees at Best Beginnings, a charity focussing on...

Join us for another magnificent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Richard Bloxam, the Global CEO of Capital Markets at JLL. Since joining JLL in 1994, Richard has been working across the capital markets business to develop real estate investment strategies for the biggest and most active investors in the world. Richard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of...

Join us for another excellent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Michael Kovacs, Founding Partner of Castleforge. Prior to his current role, he was Vice President at Westbrook Partners where he was involved in transactions representing over £2bn of asset value, and an Analyst at The Blackstone Group. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the Uni...

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Carl Wu, the Co-Founder & CEO of New Frontier Group. Under his leadership, New Frontier has become the leading integrated healthcare provider in China, servicing approximately 10 million patients annually across 50 cities. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director at Blackstone and was one of the fou...

Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Murray Roos, the Group Head of Capital Markets at LSEG. Prior to his current role, he held numerous senior positions at prominent investment banks, including Global Head of Prime Finance at Deutsche Bank and Global Co-Head of Equities and Securities Services at Citi. Murray holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engin...

As the last episode for the summer, join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by John Rudaizky, the Global Brand and Marketing Leader at EY. Prior to his current role, he was Managing Partner at Saatchi & Saatchi, Global Business Director at J. Walter Thompson Worldwide, and CEO of Team Vodafone and Team GSK at WPP. John obtained a bachelor's degree from...

Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ian Stuart, the CEO of HSBC UK. Prior to his current role, he led the Corporate Banking business at Barclays for six years, and held various roles in Business Banking during his 22 years at the Royal Bank of Scotland. Ian studied at the University of Reading and is a business partner to Meningitis Now. Recorded in Jun...

Join us for another wonderful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jonathan Turner, partner at Accel. Prior to his current role, he was a managing partner at Headline VC and one of the co-founders of Qatalyst Partners. Jonathan holds a degree in PPE from the University of Oxford and is a Finance Leaders Fellow at The Aspen Institute. Recorded in May 2023.

Join us for another fascinating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by James Fennell, the CEO of Lichfields. James has over 30 years of experience in planning and is also an Independent Member of the Planning Decisions Committee at the London Legacy Development Corporation. Recorded in April 2023.

Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Nick Diamond, Managing Director at Accenture. Prior to his current role, he was a Managing Director for Global Brands at TCC and worked at Procter & Gamble for over 18 years, holding positions such as Director of Marketing for Global Tesco and Commercial Director for Pharmacy Channel. Nick holds a BA in Geography...

Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Roland Sonnenberg, the Senior Partner at Bain & Company. He began his career as a chartered engineer, worked at PwC for 21 years specialising in Aerospace and & Defence and joined Bain & Company in 2022, providing expertise in Aerospace & Defence and Advanced Manufacturing & Services. Roland holds...

Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Roxanne Varza, the Director at Station F. Prior to her current role, she was the lead for Microsoft’s start-up activities in France and former Editor of TechCrunch in France. Roxanne holds a joint Master’s in International Political Economy the LSE and Sciences Po and a Bachelor’s in French Studies from UCLA. Roxann...

Join us for another exceptional episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Caroline Siarkiewicz, the Chief Executive Officer at Money and Pensions Service. Prior to her current role, she held senior positions at both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation, before becoming CEO of the Institute of Money Advisers. Caroline holds an MBA...

Join us for another fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jean-Paul Jaegers, the Head of Asset Allocation at Barclays. Prior to his current role, he held various positions at Barclays, worked at Prudential UK, BNP Paribas Asset Management, and started his career at Fortis Investments. Jean-Paul holds a Master’s in Finance from Maastricht University. Recorded in March 2023.

Join us for another sensational episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Scott Kim, the CEO at RocketReach. Prior to his current role, he was the President at Zocdoc, CEO of Bankrate.com, and held various C-level roles at About.com. Scott holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and started his career as a Software Engineer at LoudCloud Systems. Recorde...

Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Stephen Cohen, the Head of EMEA at BlackRock. Prior to his current role, he served as the Head of iShares and Index Investments, as well as the Global Head of Fixed Income Indexing. Before working at BlackRock, Stephen worked at Nomura, ING Barings, and UBS. Stephen holds a 1st class degree in Economics from the Unive...

Join us for another magnificent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Evie Vanezie, the Chief Risk Officer/Global Head of Enterprise Risk at Jefferies. Prior to her current role, she held various positions at KPMG and the FCA. Evie holds a BSc in Actuarial Science from the LSE, a master’s in Mathematical Finance from Oxford University and is also a CFA Charterholder. Recorded in Apri...

Join us for another incredible episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Errol Gardner, the Global Vice Chair of Consulting at EY. Prior to his current role, he was the Global Leader for Technology Consulting at EY, a partner at IBM, and held a variety of positions at PwC. Errol holds a BA in Industrial Economics from the University of Nottingham.  Recorded in March 2023.

Join us for another captivating episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Phillip McCreanor, the Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe at Lincoln International. Prior to his current role, he was a partner at Livingstone Partners and started his career at Deloitte. Phillip holds a Bachelors and Masters in Economics from Macquarie University. Recorded in February 2023.

Join us for another magnificent episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ned Salter, the Global Head of Investment Research at Fidelity International. Prior to his current role, he spent over 8 years at Fidelity, holding positions such as Head of Equities and Head of Research. Ned holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kenyon College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Recorde...

Join us for another brilliant episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jeffrey Sachs, an Economics Professor and the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. Jeffrey received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees in Economics from Harvard University. He has held the Special Advisor role to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and has authored nu...

Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jonathan Kaye, the Partner, Managing Director, and Head of Business Services at Moelis & Company. Prior to his current role, Jonathan spent over 20 years in the financial services industry. His career spans investment banking and hedge fund research, including firms such as JPMorgan, Jefferies, Sandell Asset Manag...

As the final episode of the term, join us for a fantastic episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Nick Studer, the President and CEO of Oliver Wyman Group. Prior to his current role, Nick has had over 20 years of experience consulting in the UK, Continental Europe and North America for Oliver Wyman. Nick graduated with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Cambri...

Join us for another sensational episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Rajesh Agrawal, the Deputy Mayor of London for Business since 2016. Prior to his current role, he was an entrepreneur who founded RationalFX in 2005, and Xendpay in 2014. Rajesh holds a bachelor of business administration and MBA from Prestige Institute of Management & Research, Indore, India and is the Chairma...

Join us for another sublime episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Gregory Peters, the Co-Chief Investment Officer at PGIM Fixed Income. Before he joined the company he was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. Gregory holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from The College of New Jersey and an MBA from Fordham University. He is also a senior portfolio manager for various strategies at...