BMOâs Ravi Sriskandarajah talks about humility, fatherhood, mortgage-backed securities, his old dreadlocks, setting up a business in Australia and Gandhiâs experiments with truth.
Name: Ravi Sriskandarajah
Company and job title: Managing director – Asia-Pacific, BMO Global Asset Management
Previous company and job title: Head of institutional business, BlackRock Australia
How many years in the Asia-Pacific region: 15 years
What do you consider to be your home town: Sydney, Australia
Educational background (subject studied and school/university): High school: Marist College Ashgrove, Brisbane, Australia. Bachelor of Commerce, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
First job in the funds industry: Business development, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers
What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced in your professional life and what made it so challenging?
The biggest challenges are always great learning experiences. There was a period during the financial crisis where I had to explain why the value of mortgage-backed securities held in client portfolios were declining. That in itself wasn’t difficult, as our exposure was to the highest-quality mortgages. However, the same group of clients had purchased CDOs [collateralised debt obligations] directly from investment banks which for a period were marked at 100 cents in the dollar. Understandably they were confused and frustrated. While our explanation that the CDOs would, in time, reflect the value of the underlying assets were eventually vindicated, there were no winners.
What achievement in your job are you most proud of?
Establishing a business for BMO Global Asset Management in Australia that is now on its way to being successful. It was an opportunity to plan and execute a new business strategy in a competitive and mature market.
What advice would you give to someone who is beginning their career in the funds industry?
Take the opportunity to learn from people around you. Be humble and protect your reputation, you only have one.
If you could change one thing about the funds industry, what would it be? We need to better understand the end clients’ financial objectives and how they define risk and return.
What is your greatest ambition in life and why?
To be a good dad. Not sure that needs an explanation.
What’s the best investment you’ve made and why?
I have forgotten all the bad ones but I do remember investing in a subordinated bank debt fund at the height of the financial crisis, which paid off handsomely a couple of years later.
Tell us something about you that most people don’t know: I had dreadlocks at university. Actually, anyone who has had a beer with me would know that. I’m quick to pull out an old photo to prove it!
Favourite country to visit for a holiday and why: I don’t have a favourite country but my two favourite cities are San Francisco and Shanghai. Each is unique.
Favourite type of food and why: Nasi lemak or anything Malaysian. It is the original fusion cuisine, a combination of Malay, Chinese and Indian.
Favourite book or film and why: The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi.
Your house is burning. Your family is safe. You have time to rescue one object. What would it be and why?
Probably something practical I needed the next day! I’d like to think I’m not that attached to anything.
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