Looking to work in investment management as a portfolio manager or research analyst? Realistically, jumping directly from education into a decision-making position in asset management is becoming increasingly difficult. As the investment management business consolidates, especially in Chicago, anyone aspiring to enter the field needs to be creative and open about the path they follow to reach that goal as the route is often circuitous. 

One common career path is to join an investment management firm in an administrative or “back office” supportive role, and then advancing from within into an aspirational role of portfolio manager, analyst or trader. Hear from three individuals who made this transition in recent years and learn from their successes. All our panelists will be available for an extended Q&A with the audience. This event will provide: 

• Action steps that assisted with career advancement
• The significance of a mentor (official or unofficial)
• The value of the CFA designation from being a candidate to a charterholder
• Insights from a senior member of a leading outplacement firm
  
   

Vincent Baxter, CFA - Associate Equity Portfolio Manager, Northern Trust Asset Management
Jackson Finks, CFA - Analyst, Dearborn Partners 
Oday Tillawi - Associate/Desk Analyst - Investment Grade Credit, Allstate 

Fee*:
Members - FREE 
Student Members - FREE
(member pricing underwritten by CFA Society Chicago)

CFA Institute Qualified Activity: Eligible for 1.5 credit hours

Attire: Business Casual

Menu: Light snacks & refreshments

Registration: Online

Agenda: 
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Registration & Networking
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm: Program & Q&A

Moderator Bio: 
Eric Schweitzer is vice president at global outplacement and executive coaching consultancy, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. He serves the business community on issues of organizational change and their employees with executive outplacement, leadership development and executive coaching. Schweitzer’s consulting guidance is informed from executive experience leading corporate initiatives in business transformation, team development & realignment, and business and product-line reorganizations.

Prior to joining Challenger Gray, Schweitzer’s career has included leadership experience in the investment and wealth management industry in roles leading global teams in marketing, product management and sales.

Panelists Bios: 

Vinny Baxter, CFA, is a portfolio manager on the Northern Trust Asset Management Tax Advantage Equity team focusing on tax managed and various tax aware quantitative active equity portfolio strategies. Prior to this, he worked in a variety of back and middle office support roles supporting investment and relationship management teams. Baxter started at Northern Trust in 2012 and has been a portfolio manager since 2018. He is an active CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Chicago. He received a B.S. in finance from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.

Jack Finks, CFA, works as an equity analyst on Dearborn Partners' Rising Dividend Strategies. Finks graduated from Indiana University in 2012 and spent a year at US Bank in the trust department. He joined Dearborn Partners in 2013 to assist in trading and operations for the Rising Dividend Strategies.

In 2014, Fink completed the CFA curriculum and was added to the investment team at Dearborn a year later. 





Oday Tillawi is an Investment Grade desk/associate analyst at Allstate Investments. His day-to-day includes associating the portfolio managers in managing Allstate’s 50+ portfolios, as well as the credit analysts in conducting credit/company fundamental research analysis. Previously, Tillawi was a financial analyst in Allstate Investments’ Financial Planning & Analysis team, where he focused on reporting the financial results and creating the investments plan of Allstate Investments.

Tillawi joined Allstate in June 2016 shortly after graduation and has been in his current role since January 2018. He attended George Mason University and graduated with a degree in finance and economics. He recently passed Level III of the CFA Program.