My journey to the investment management industry began over a decade ago. I was trying to transition away from engineering into the investment management industry, with the CFA (Program) being the gold standard certificate in the investment industry. I also needed to signal to employers that I was serious about this transition. Was that I had the requisite knowledge. That I had the personality traits for that industry.
My name is Michael Osakwe, and I'm a relationship manager in the private capital industry. At the heart of my work lies a profound commitment and dedication to nurturing and maintaining client relationships. My professional journey began in commercial banking, in the e-banking space, where I realized that finance and investment was not just about money, but it was about making an impactful decisions that could shape lives, businesses and the economy at large.
I basically had two options. One was to do an MBA and the other was a CFA (Program). I decided to take the CFA (Program)and like I say, the rest is history. And what the CFA program did for me was to enhance my ability to understand and analyze different investments across different asset classes.
One of the skills I've picked up across the different levels of the CFA (Program) would be ethics. The ethics of the profession is seriously emphasized. Another skill I've picked up along the way is my client relationship management skills. It's your ability to understand the uniqueness of the clients and putting the client's needs ahead of yours and that of the firm.
The CFA Program is like a buffet or you have a taste of almost everything in the investment management industry. That way, as a CFA charterholder you are able to contribute meaningfully to conversations within the firm, which may be slightly different from your core role, whether you're going from private equity to hedge funds to commodities, real estate, the CFA gives you a very rich understanding of this. And with this understanding you're able to help institutional clients to construct the right portfolio that will help them meet your needs.
Having failed the CFA Level III exam twice, I decided to change my approach and mindset towards the exam. The first thing I did was to start early. I realized that the only way to understand and deeply immerse myself in the contents of the CFA level III Program was to use the CFA curriculum. These two things, which is starting early and having a schedule, allowed me to study daily and using the CFA curriculum were the game changer is that helped me pass the CFA level III exam.