Tom Edey

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Ninety One Asset Management

Marketing Associate |

Graduate

Why do you enjoy your job?

I have a varied role in the marketing team at Investec Asset Management, as I am able to rotate between different teams within marketing. So far I have worked in marketing compliance and investment writing, both very different. Marketing compliance was a great place to start as it gave me exposure to all types of content that the firm produces, from fact sheets to manager commentaries, presentations and podcasts. Absorbing all this allowed me to get to grips with what the firm does and what Asset Management is all about. Investment writing has proved to be very enjoyable, as I get to help produce commentaries about how a fund, and how the stocks within that fund, has performed.

I am suited to my job purely because I am interested in it. Having a genuine interest in the things I help write or the documents I look at for compliance is really important, as it enables me to do my job well. It also means I enjoy turning up to work, which is probably the most important part to a job.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

I would say the most challenging thing about my job at first was the sheer volume of new content and jargon I needed to take in. Having no background in Asset Management or finance in general meant it was a hard first month or so. Six months in to my role, I would say the trickiest thing is managing expectations and prioritising my workload.

How did you get into your job?

I had a slightly odd path into Asset Management. After my A-Levels, my career plan was to become a captain of a Super Yacht. I moved to France and started out as a deckhand, working on yachts in the Mediterranean and the USA. I did this for 2 years. I then had enough and realised it wasn’t for me long term, so I left and began studying Physics at university. After graduating I took some more time off to travel, and then went about finding a ‘proper job’. The finance and investment industry always captivated me from a young age, so I set about researching what different companies did. I ended up narrowing down my choices and, in the process, came across the Investment20/20 scheme. The scheme was a perfect way in to the industry and has given me the opportunity to start my ‘second career’.

What are your future aspirations?

It is still early days, and I am not certain of a particular path I want to take. For now, I am setting up meetings with various people over the company in different teams in an attempt to try and figure out what could be good for me, and equally importantly, what is not.

How would you sum up your Investment20/20 experience?

It has been fun, interesting and invaluable. This is partly due to working for a superb company that has let me pursue my interests, but also down to the Investment20/20 scheme itself, which provided me with this great opportunity in the first place, as well as hosting really useful talks, seminars and important networking events.