Mark Makepeace, the new CEO of Wilshire, talks about what it takes to step into the leadership of a company with an established culture and legacy. It's one thing to lead a start-up like FTSE Russell, which he founded in the 1990s, and another to lead an established company like Wilshire. "It's about listening to the talent." Summary: Behind our industry's current focus on technology-enabled investing is the story of the rise of stock market indexes from their original role as economic indicators to their place at the heart sophisticated passive investment vehicles that now account for 40% of the market. Having shown that technology is better at stock picking than humans, index providers are well on their way to becoming virtual investment managers. Larry Black, the managing partner at BlackMoss, continues our Leaders Lounge conversation with Mark Makepeace, who led the index provider FTSE Russell from its founding in the 1990s until 2019. He has now re-emerged as chief executive of Wilshire, the Los Angeles-based consulting firm and asset manager, and home of the Wilshire 5000 index. They talk about the future of investment management and Mark's approach to his new role. Topics we discussed: · Why Wilshire? Where does Wilshire sit strategically within financial services? · How do leaders go about getting teams on board for change? · What role will technology play in the evolution of financial services? · Are index providers emerging as virtual investment managers? · Does the investment industry face a threat from the big technology companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft? Wilshire, Wilshire Associates, FTSE, FTSE Russell, LSEG, London Stock Exchange, LSE, index, indexes, indices, ESG, Smart Beta, FTSE4Good, passive investing, MSCI, Wilshire 5000, Refinitiv, London, Big Bang, Dow Jones, FT, Financial Times, FTSE100, Brexit, Roger Moore

Mark Makepeace, the founder of index provider FTSE Russell and now the CEO of Wilshire, talks about what it takes to lead—from a start-up of nine people to a global information services provider with $16 trillion in assets benchmarked to its indexes. "It's about bringing people along on a journey." Summary Behind our industry's current focus on technology-enabled investing is the story of the rise of stock market indexes from their original role as economic indicators to their place at the heart sophisticated passive investment vehicles that now account for 40% of the market. Having shown that technology is better at stock picking than humans, index providers are well on their way to becoming virtual investment managers. For this episode of the Leaders Lounge, host Craig Welch hands over the microphone to Larry Black, the managing partner at BlackMoss, for a two-part conversation with Mark Makepeace, the founder of global index provider FTSE Russell. Larry worked for Mark as FTSE's CMO for the better part of a decade, as it came of age in North America and grew to become, by some measures, the world's largest index provider. We discussed: - How central indexes and passive investing have become to investing and the global economy - How FTSE grew beyond the UK into a global index provider, securing key prizes in the US and China and rivalling incumbents like MSCI, SandP Dow Jones and Bloomberg - How his leadership style has been shaped by his personal journey —from Big Bang-era London, to running a global company, to reviving Wilshire - Revelations from Mark's new book "FTSE: The inside story of the deals, dramas and politics that revolutionized financial market—including the role played by Roger Moore of James Bond fame in the creation of FTSE4Good and ESG investing - The future of London as a global financial center post Brexit Topics covered: Wilshire, Wilshire Associates, FTSE, FTSE Russell, LSEG, London Stock Exchange, LSE, index, indexes, indices, ESG, Smart Beta, FTSE4Good, passive investing, MSCI, Wilshire 5000, Refinitiv, London, Big Bang, Dow Jones, FT, Financial Times, FTSE100, Brexit, Roger Moore

Executive coach, Nadine Mendelek Theimann, PhD, PCC, discusses how mindfulness, compassion and purpose can save corporate Leadership. Since mid-March of 2020, we’ve faced an expanding global pandemic, associated extreme economic volatility and mass protests over racial injustice. The convergence of these three crises has many business leaders questioning if their leadership skills that they have honed over the years will be the same skills they will need to face the challenges of the "new normal." In this new normal, leadership is more important than ever before – because the best leaders define reality and inspire hope. Host Craig Welch from BlackMoss Partners spoke with Nadine about what type of leader is needed for the new normal. Nadine has coached and counselled many c-suite executives from various industries including financial services, manufacturing, insurance, high-tech and telecommunications. She is an executive leadership coach who has an extensive career in coaching high-profile executives globally in leadership development. Her clients include Facebook, Apple, Blue Shield, Medidata, Texas Instruments, Columbia Sportswear, Groupon, MSCI, and Legalzoom. In addition to her academic credentials in leadership coaching and counselling, Nadine also holds a PhD in Economics and was a Visiting Fellow at Princeton University’s Department of Economics.

AllianceBernstein’s Head of Global Tech & Ops, Karl Sprules, discusses his firm’s approach to navigating through the COVID-19 Crisis. Technology and operations leaders have been on the front lines for investment firms dealing with the COVID 19 crisis. Now more ever it is important for these leaders to solve how to navigate an emerging ‘new normal’ across technology, operations, people, and process. Host Craig Welch from BlackMoss Partners spoke with Karl Sprules, Head of Global Technology and Operations at AllianceBernstein, to discuss his experiences navigating through the crisis and the impact it has had on his role at AllianceBernstein and him as a leader. With over three thousand employees worldwide, AllianceBernstein is a global asset management firm providing investment management and research services to institutional, high-net-worth and retail investors.