Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Colin Armstrong, a Partner at Bain & Company in New York. Prior to his current role, he worked extensively across Bain’s Consumer Products, Operating Model, and M&A practices, focusing on divestiture transactions and advising clients across both EMEA and the US. Colin holds a BA in International Studies and French from Willamette University and an MSc in Management from the London School of Economics.
Recorded in Aug, 2025
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Russell Graham, the Head of Product Enablement Europe at Vanguard. Prior to his current role, he was a fixed income portfolio manager at BlackRock and began his career in Franklin Templeton’s management training program. Russell holds a BS in Finance from Santa Clara University and an MS in Finance from Golden Gate University, and he is passionate about developing teams and helping individuals achieve their investment goals.
Recorded in June, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Sophia Damianou, the Managing Director of Evercore’s Private Capital Advisory group in London. Prior to her current role, she led fundraising and investor relations at Northleaf, CapeView, and Mesirow, after starting her career in Credit Suisse’s Prime Brokerage capital introduction team. Sophia holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MSc in Law and Economics from the LSE, and a BSc from UCL, and is also a Non-Executive Director of the EasyCredit Group.
Recorded in July, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Helen Keen, the Head of UK Private Banking at Arbuthnot Latham. Prior to her current role, she was Managing Director at Coutts and also held senior positions spanning transformation and credit across private and commercial banking. Helen holds over 30 years of experience in the banking sector and is a dedicated leader in driving client-focused transformation initiatives.
Recorded in June, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Burkhard Boeckem, the Chief Technology Officer at Hexagon. Prior to his current role, he was the CTO of Hexagon’s Geosystems division and earlier led transformative innovations in industrial metrology and reality capture technologies. Burkhard holds a PhD in Geodesy from ETH Zurich, where he received the ETH Medal for Outstanding Research, as well as a Master’s degree from the University of Bonn.
Recorded in April, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Jan Olsson, the Managing Director and CEO of Deutsche Bank Nordic. Prior to his current role, he served as Head of Corporate Finance in the Nordic Region and as Assistant to a Deutsche Bank board member overseeing investment banking and corporate finance. Jan holds degrees from the London School of Economics, Pomona College, the Wharton School, and the Lauder Institute, and is a strong advocate for strategic networking and mentoring the next generation of finance professionals.
Recorded in May, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by William Hobbs, the Head of Multi-Asset Wealth at Barclays UK Wealth Management. Prior to his current role, he was an equity analyst covering the European retail sector and later pursued further study in economic development and history. William holds a Master’s degree in Economic History from the London School of Economics and is the host of Barclays' popular “Word on the Street” podcast, where he shares market insights with a wide audience.
Recorded in July, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Paul Moody, the Managing Director of Global Partnerships and Client Solutions at CFA Institute. Prior to his current role, he was the Client Solutions Director at Aviva Investors and a pioneer of the UK’s first ESG fund product. Paul holds a degree in Economics and is a longstanding advocate for sustainable finance, actively working to democratise financial education and build capacity in emerging markets.
Recorded in March, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Matthew Prest, the Managing Director and Co-Head of Europe at Moelis & Company. Prior to his current role, he was the Managing Director in the Corporate Finance Restructuring team at Close Brothers, the Director of Restructuring at M&G Investment Management, and a Senior Manager in the Restructuring team at KPMG. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Warwick and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Recorded in March, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Victor Lee Meng Teck, the CEO of CIMB Bank Singapore and CIMB Growth Markets. Prior to his current role, he held senior leadership positions at Citibank, Standard Chartered, and UOB, with extensive experience across corporate lending, transaction banking, and financial markets. Victor holds a degree in Materials Engineering from Nanyang Technological University and is a passionate advocate for lifelong learning and mentorship, encouraging both colleagues and young professionals to embrace continuous upskilling in the digital era.
Recorded in March, 2025
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Peter Spofforth, the Head of the European Team at Qatalyst Partners. Prior to his current role, he worked at Lloyds Banking Group in the Equity Capital Markets Division and began his career as a summer analyst during the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Peter holds a BSc in Mathematics from Warwick University and has advised on some of the most prominent tech deals in recent years, including the sales of Tink to Visa, Genesys to Permira, and Wolt to DoorDash.
Recorded in March, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Margaret Franklin, the President and CEO of the CFA Institute. Prior to her current role, she was President of BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Canada and held senior positions at Merit Private Wealth and Barclays Global Investors. Margaret holds a BA in Economics from McMaster University and earned her CFA charter in 1997.
Recorded in March, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Steffen Pauls, the Founder and Co-CEO of Moonfare. Prior to his current role, he served as Managing Director and Head of Germany at KKR and co-founded the financial advisory firm firstfive AG. Steffen holds a PhD from the University of Trier and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mannheim, and has also served on multiple advisory and supervisory boards across the finance and corporate sectors.
Recorded in March, 2025
Join us for another exciting episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Anthony Villis, the co-founder and managing director of First Wealth. Prior to his current role, he was the founder of Open Advice and the co-founder of Thrive Money. Anthony holds a Economics degree from the University of Bath and is the recipient of the title of the UK’s Favourite Independent Financial Advisor by VouchedFor.
Recorded in February, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Piyush Gupta, the CEO of DBS Group, Southeast Asia’s largest bank by assets. Prior to his current role, he had a distinguished 27-year career at Citigroup, holding various leadership positions.
Piyush has been at the helm of DBS since 2009, steering the bank to global recognition as the world's best bank by numerous publications. As he prepares for his upcoming retirement in March 2025.
Recorded in December, 2024
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point where today we are joined by Ted Low, the Head of Portfolio and Collateral Management at Clifford Capital Group, a Singapore-based infrastructure credit platform specialising in global infrastructure debt origination, distribution, and investment. Prior to his current role, Ted was a Senior Associate at Challenger MBK Fund Management and a Business Analyst in Macquarie Group’s infrastructure fund team. Ted holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from LSE.
Recorded in February, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Sean Lee, the Co-founder and Group CEO of Marco Polo Marine, a Singapore-listed leading integrated marine logistics group. Prior to his current role, Sean has led Marco Polo Marine for almost two decades, driving its key focuses on ship chartering, shipyard services, marine transportation, and offshore wind energy.
Sean holds MBAs from both INSEAD and Tsinghua University.
Recorded in January, 2025
Join us for another engaging episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Audra Low, the CEO of Clifford Capital Private Limited. Prior to her current role, she was the Head of Origination and Structuring at Clifford Capital and a Director of Project Finance at HSBC. Audra holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a degree from Nanyang Technological University.
Recorded in February, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point with Sonny Kalsi, Co-CEO of Bento Green Oak (BGO), a global leader in real estate investment management with $85B AUM. Previously, he was Global Co-Head of Real Estate Investing at Morgan Stanley and co-founded Green Oak Real Estate, growing it to $12B AUM before its 2019 merger with Benton Kennedy.
A Georgetown University graduate, Sonny is actively involved in academic initiatives and serves on the boards of Georgetown, Teaching Matters, Room to Read, Asia Society, and the Hirshhorn Museum.
Recorded in February, 2025
Join us for another insightful episode at Focal Point, where today we are joined by Dagfinn Lunde, a veteran in shipping finance with over four decades of experience. Dagfinn was previously the Head of DNB New York from 1990 to 1995, the Head of Intertanko, and a board member at DVB Bank, where he oversaw the shipping and offshore division from 2000 until the end of 2013. He is also the founder of eShipFinance, an online shipping financing platform.
Recorded in December, 2024
