What attracted you to Mirabaud?
Will Ballard: The world is an ever changing place. You've had the fall of the Soviet Union. You've had the com bubble. You've had the creation of Europe. And now we're faced with the age of AI, the rise of AI. Mirabaud has weathered many storms that's been around for over 200 years. It's great to join an organization with those strong foundations on which we can build.
What do you enjoy most about fund management?
Giles Parkinson: Investing is about solving puzzles, and the biggest of these is the impact of the changes that we see every day, and how those are going to affect the future. Fund management gives you a front row seat, a window into the world through which you can put your ideas into action.
What excites you about the opportunities ahead?
Will: Mirabaud has given us the opportunity to launch the fund that we really want to run. Despite our youthful looks, we have over two decades of experience investing. We want to challenge conventional wisdom and run a fund that has much less risk, but still manages to deliver great returns for our investors.
What does your new strategy bring to Mirabaud?
Giles: Our strategy is built around the delivery of consistent, stable returns whilst providing access to one of the largest and most liquid asset classes out there, global equities. Not only does this provide Mirabaud with a phenomenal growth opportunity, it also means that those clients and partners who invest with us should have a good experience.
What are you looking forward to building in here?
Will: We're looking to build something as a team that stands the test of time, just like Mirabaud has. Our success shouldn't just be measured in strong performance, but in the consistency and in the experience which our investors have and their confidence in staying with us for the long term.
What has impressed you the most so far?
Giles: It's clear to us that we've joined a nimble and eager organisation. Our first client request arrived just last week, and before we even had a chance to open it, it was already almost completed by the different teams around the organization that support us.
Which one of you is most likely to be first in the office?
Will: That's Giles. Yeah. Can't wait to get stuck into the news.
Talk about market over dinner?
Will: Probably me trying to get out of doing the washing up.
Admit he was wrong?
Giles: Probably you again?
Will: Yeah. I mean, I'm wrong most of the time, so that makes sense.
Sleep when market is falling?
Giles: Oh, definitely me. Because they always go back up.
Be more competitive?
Will: That's a difficult one, but it's probably me. If you think about all the going through Strava and checking all my data.
Giles: He's always on it.
Win an argument?
Giles: Me? Unless it's with my wife.
Will: Yeah.
Be the last one to leave a team night out?
Will: I think we take that in turns.
