97: Talking Leadership with Felicity Walsh [i3] Institutional Investment Podcast

In this episode of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Felicity Walsh, Managing Director and Head of Australia & New Zealand for Franklin Templeton about leadership, fostering a great work culture, mentorship and lab coats. Enjoy the show!

Overview of Podcast with Felicity Walsh, Franklin Templeton

01:00 Hanging up the chemistry lab coat and safety specs, and joining Watson Wyatt
05:00 Defined benefit post GFC and getting into client acquisition work
07:00 Differences between UK and Australian pension systems
10:00 When I came to Australia there was no depth in the inflation-linked bond market
13:00 Joining K2, not as different from an asset consultant as you might think it was
17:00 Making my own glossary of hedge fund terminology
19:00 In the early days of K2, there was a clear separation from Franklin Templeton. We even had our own fridge
22:00 On leadership style: “I’m very keen on a flat structure, which is not always how fund management firms operate”.
24:00 In a small team, you need to keep the job varied and interesting
29:00 Culture is incredibly important when you work for a global company
33:00 On the importance of keeping distractions away from your team
35:30 There are certain people whose counsel I seek from time to time, but they are not people who I initially thought were going to be mentors
40:00 Removing the distinction between retail and institutional teams
44:00 Focusing on community this year
46:00 Integrating the acquisition of Putnam investments