97: Talking Leadership with Felicity Walsh

[i3] Institutional Investment Podcast

In this episode of the [i3] Podcast, we speak with Felicity Walsh, Managing Director and Head of Australia & New Zealand for Franklin Templeton about leadership, fostering a great work culture, mentorship and lab coats. Enjoy the show! Overview of Podcast with Felicity Walsh, Franklin Templeton 01:00 Hanging up the chemistry lab coat and safety specs, and joining Watson Wyatt 05:00 Defined benefit post GFC and getting into client acquisition work 07:00 Differences between UK and Australian pension systems 10:00 When I came to Australia there was no depth in the inflation-linked bond market 13:00 Joining K2, not as different from an asset consultant as you might think it was 17:00 Making my own glossary of hedge fund terminology 19:00 In the early days of K2, there was a clear separation from Franklin Templeton. We even had our own fridge 22:00 On leadership style: “I’m very keen on a flat structure, which is not always how fund management firms operate”. 24:00 In a small team, you need to keep the job varied and interesting 29:00 Culture is incredibly important when you work for a global company 33:00 On the importance of keeping distractions away from your team 35:30 There are certain people whose counsel I seek from time to time, but they are not people who I initially thought were going to be mentors 40:00 Removing the distinction between retail and institutional teams 44:00 Focusing on community this year 46:00 Integrating the acquisition of Putnam investments