THE POWER ISSUE

If you’ve read Principles by Ray Dalio, you’ll know that one of the greatest talents one can have is the capacity to learn—a single-minded resolve to soak up different forms of knowledge like a sponge.

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Kelvin Tay: Chief Investment Officer, South Asia Pacific, UBS Wealth Management

That tenacity has carried Kelvin Tay through his lengthy career thus far.

Despite graduating with an art degree, Tay chose to pursue a master’s degree in finance at London’s Imperial College, right in the middle of the Asian financial crisis. He then made the switch from being a telecommunications analyst to joining the private wealth management arm at Deutsche Bank simply because “it seemed a lot more interesting with more things to learn”.

When Tay eventually took over the reins as UBS Wealth Management’s chief investment officer (CIO) for South Asia Pacific in 2012, the significant milestone was made all the more impressive by the fact that he was the youngest CIO in the private banking sector at the time, as well as the only locally appointed one. Tay says that his journey has always been marked by the same fundamental “curiosity to find out why and how things work”.

What are you passionate about?

I have a deep love for learning and teaching. While it might seem like they sit at opposite ends of the spectrum, the two couldn’t be more intricately linked. In teaching you will learn, and in learning you will teach.

What’s a common misconception about your line of work?

That the finance industry is filled with reckless, overpaid individuals. When you consider the amount of stress and work pressure as well as the long hours, it would be difficult to attract and retain talent if the renumeration was not attractive. We’re expected to drive profitability despite extreme volatility in the markets. Not many industries are as unforgiving when it comes to the bottom line.