What are your key responsibilities?
As Co-Head and CIO of Aperio, I directly oversee portfolio management, research, trading, and technology while working closely with Liz Michaels to oversee the day-to-day operations and set the overall strategic direction for Aperio. I divide my time among scaling Aperio’s customized investment portfolios, designing and improving investment strategies, and working with clients on addressing their needs with innovative, customized investment solutions.

Describe your key previous work experience.
I have a passion for solving business problems using mathematical techniques. I began my career as a management consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where I modeled consumer markets and large complex decisions. From there, I satisfied my interest in software at Woosh!, a startup business that enabled merchants to sell their products through various web channels. I also spent three years at Orient Overseas Container Line and two years at The Gap, where I built decision-analysis systems using forecasting and optimization to improve operations and inventory management.

What is the most interesting aspect of the job to you?
I enjoy discovering new research insights and applying them to improve client portfolios. For example, an observation that minimum volatility strategies were trading at high valuations led us to add value guardrails to our lower-risk strategies. This insight had an impact on client portfolios and also led to a paper, “Restoring Value to Minimum Variance,” that won a Harry M. Markowitz Special Distinction Award by the Journal of Investment Management.

Describe some noteworthy projects you have worked on that directly impact Aperio’s clients.
Our clients’ questions and curiosity often stimulate new projects and research ideas. For example, a couple of years ago, several clients asked us to analyze their hedge fund portfolios to understand why they underperformed in down markets. Our risk and attribution models pointed to an anti-quality bias—the funds had exposure to volatile securities with unstable earnings and high leverage. In times of market distress, this exposure led to larger declines. The benefit was twofold: our clients gained clearer understanding of their hedge fund exposures and we explored a solution of employing a low-risk, quality strategy.

What do you like most about working at Aperio?
I like the people and the firm’s ethics. Aperio always places its clients and people ahead of other goals and objectives. We strive to have a culture that rewards an entrepreneurial spirit, client service, respect, and most importantly, truth.

What are some non-work-related things we should know about you?
I enjoy being in the middle of the San Francisco Bay with a board at my feet and a kite in the air.

What postsecondary degrees and/or professional certifications do you possess?
Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, Canada; MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.

• "Optimizing Value" – Journal of Portfolio Management, Winter 2016
• "Factoring Profitability" – Risk-Based and Factor Investing, 2015
• "Restoring Value to Minimum Variance" – Journal of Investment Management, Second Quarter 2014 (granted a Harry M. Markowitz Special Distinction Award)