Citywire: Thanks, I quit

Aug 17 2022

Citywire: Thanks, I quit Podcast artwork

Thanks, I quit features Swiss finance professionals who had an interesting career change. Hosted by Citywire Switzerland reporter Fergus Horsfall, the first series includes star names who left Switzerland’s financial heavyweights and those who took unconventional routes to the top. From bitcoin bosses to Iraq fund impresarios and sustainability pioneers, make sure you tune in every second Wednesday to learn from the most fascinating figures in the industry.

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Paul Donovan’s sexuality was seen as a ‘death sentence’. At UBS, he feels welcome

Aug 17 2022 47 mins

UBS Global Wealth Management chief economist Paul Donovan was unable to be openly gay in his earlier career. He discusses striking changes in attitudes and the role of his employer and its CEO Ralph Hamers. Donovan also explains why LGBTQ+ people may need specialised investment advice and how their cause fits into the wider ESG movement.

The farmer turned tech entrepreneur who runs a Geneva WM

Aug 03 2022 22 mins

Jean-Pierre Lagane worked on his family's farm until he developed a new type of software. His long and varied career took him to Crédit Agricole, where he built the independent asset managers division. Now CEO of Coges Corratiere Gestion, a wealth manager in Geneva, Lagane shares insight into this market along with his life story.

Zurich fund firm bets big on Swiss startups

Jul 20 2022 27 mins

The Swiss start-up investment scene is coming of age, according to head of clients at Serpentine Ventures Christoph Kruecken. He discusses the venture capital asset manager’s fund range, how it nurtures its holdings, and how it compares to sales roles he held at BlackRock and UBS.

‘We are way off meeting the SDGs’: LGT sees solutions in venture philanthropy

Jul 06 2022 34 mins

Trusting partners on the ground to know how best to deploy charitable endowments is essential, according to LGT Venture Philanthropy’s CEO Oliver Karius. He discusses the venture philanthropy movement, lessons learned from sustainable investment history, and personal motivation to make the world fairer following his youth in apartheid era South Africa.

‘I had only one desire, to survive’: Ukrainian refugee turned Zurich private banker

Jun 22 2022 16 mins

Ukrainian refugee Oksana Kononenko describes the journey from her war-torn homeland to Switzerland and how she found a job at Zurich bank Bergos after a brief appearance on television. She also discusses private banking in her homeland before the war.

‘Naivety is important’: RobecoSAM founder’s plans to disrupt private banking

Jun 08 2022 44 mins

Globalance Bank is a Zurich based private bank focused on sustainability. Founder Reto Ringger discusses its business model, the banking industry’s lack of understanding of climate change, the difficulty of acquiring clients in the early days of sustainable investing and the forced sale of his former company RobecoSAM.

The backgammon champion turned banking entrepreneur

May 25 2022 27 mins

Charles-Henri Sabet cut his teeth assessing risk as the world champion of backgammon. He discusses his latest venture: Geneva-based FlowBank; why he is focusing on online trading rather than wealth management and how Swiss banking is behind digitally. Featuring Charles-Henri Sabet CEO FlowBank

Blue Orchard impact chief’s lessons from development banks

May 11 2022 28 mins

Maria Teresa Zappia, chief impact officer at Blue Orchard, shares her lessons from a career working in development banks around the world in the latest episode of Citywire’s Thanks, I quit podcast. These include how many investors exaggerate the risks of emerging markets and making sure social development is not forgotten amidst fears of global warming.

Why 'excited' Dirk Klee quit wealth management for Bitcoin Suisse

Apr 27 2022 46 mins

Dirk Klee joined Bitcoin Suisse as CEO in April. He discusses the future of cryptocurrency and his career. Topics include leading UBS WM's digital transformation as COO, driving the adoption of ETFs and taking a 40% pay cut to exit the legal profession.

After GAM, Larry Hatheway tries to fix America with his ‘action tank’

Apr 13 2022 33 mins

Ex-GAM investment solutions head Larry Hatheway discusses his asset management career and his attempts to bridge the political divide in his native USA with Jackson Hole Economics, a non-profit ‘action tank’ he launched with former GAM CEO Alexander Friedman. Other topics include what Switzerland’s tradition of direct democracy can teach the USA, his stint as chief economist