When did you become a CFA Charterholder?
I became a CFA Charterholder in 2007.
Describe your career path since graduating from university.
I finished Agricultural Engineering in 1993 and my first job was in a farm in the mountains of Rizal province. After a few months there, I joined the Officership Training Program of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). With BPI, I was a branch service officer and then became an account officer for agribusiness loans. After 7 years in BPI, I studied MS Financial Engineering at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 2001. After completing the program, I worked for about a year as a financial analyst with a German firm that provided interactive financial training to European financial institutions. From 2004 to 2006, I was a consultant for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and part of the team that established the Asian bonds website – AsianBondsOnline.adb.org. In 2006, I joined State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) in Singapore as a fixed-income product engineer. I'm also part of the team that manages Asian fixed-income portfolios.
Describe your current job. Which part of the CFA curriculum do you find most relevant to your current job?
My responsibilities include product development, coverage of SSgA's fixed-income capabilities in Asia ex Japan , and Asian fixed income portfolio management. I provide support to our sales teams and client relationship managers that service our institutional clients with a focus on our fixed income strategies. The CFA curriculum covering fixed-income and derivatives are the most relevant part of my current job. The portfolio management curriculum is also relevant particularly for clients interested in asset allocation issues.
How has the CFA program helped your career?
The learning and understanding of the various asset classes is very important in my career. Being in the asset management industry, understanding of the asset classes and portfolio management approaches are important. Also, going through the CFA program trains you to continuously learn about the developments in the industry. Lastly, having the CFA designation makes it easier for international financial institutions to assess my credentials and thus opens my career to more global opportunities.
What advice would you give someone looking to pursue the CFA program?
Discipline in going through the readings and practicing all the suggested problems are critical. Scheduling my study time as well as relaxation time has helped me a lot. I even had a schedule of what chapters to read from January to May, which I wasn't able to follow completely but I know that schedule helped me to push myself when I get off the track. Lastly, finding time to relax in between is important.
What is your favorite way of spending weekends?
Ideally, my favorite way of spending weekends would be going home to Cebu and hang out with family and friends. When in Singapore , a good way to spend weekends would be hanging out with friends, watching movies or trying out new restaurants. Traveling to neighboring countries is nice once in a while.
Are you a supporter of world peace, cleaner environment, and elimination of world poverty and hunger?
I support all of the above. When I was in between jobs, I worked as a volunteer for a non-government organization that dealt with helping people in war-torn areas in Mindanao . It was a fulfilling experience and working with people whose careers are focused in helping others is humbling. I've dealt with Japanese volunteers in the Philippines as well and it's good to be with people who help other people directly. I do hope to be able to contribute more in the future.
