Three perspectives from three experts: Part 1 "How Corona changed our world of work..."
The slogan of the new three-part DNB series is "Three perspectives from three experts". Knut Hellandsvik, Head of Equities, Svein Aage Aanes, Head of Fixed Income and Janicke Scheele, Head of Responsible Investments, are looking back on a very special investment year and provide insights into their daily work and the challenges they are facing. Part one focuses on how the corona crisis has affected their work and which solid anchors exist despite Covid-19.
Knut Hellandsvik, Head of Equities
Needless to say, it has been a very special year. The pandemic has triggered the sharpest fall in global equities market we have seen in modern times, but also the sharpest recovery. In these types of market conditions, we experience a lot of client activity. As stock prices fell, we experienced primarily capital outflows, while funds returned during the recovery phase. Overall, we have actually experienced net inflow this year. Due to the high volatility, our trading desk has been exceptionally busy and we have spent a lot of time communicating with clients. Probably the biggest impact of the virus was the change in the way we work: we have been rotating days in the office and we have actively been using video conferencing and other digital tools – both internally and externally. While part of our team usually spends a lot of time visiting companies and attending conferences, most of this year's activities have taken place digitally.
The biggest impact of the virus was the change in the way we work: rotating days in the office and actively using video conferencing - both internally and externally.
Leading a team of more than 30 professionals, I spend a lot of my day talking to the various team members. The fund management industry is highly competitive. Therefore, I see my most important job as attracting and keeping the best talents in the industry and offering them a good working environment. Of course, I also spend a lot of time on following the financial markets through newsflow, calls with management teams and research analysts. Furthermore, I keep a close dialogue with our various sales teams and investors in our funds. Last but not least, we all spend a significant amount of time on making sure we are operating according to various regulations and within our risk mandates. The regulatory pressure on our industry has increased tremendously over the last few years and requires constant attention. The latter is probably not the most exciting part of the work, but essential.
