BWBN Australia and New Zealand Chapter Welcomes New Executive Member

Sydney – Bloomberg Women’s Buy-Side Network (BWBN) Australia & New Zealand chapter is pleased to welcome Alicia Gregory, Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the Future Fund, as its latest Executive Member.

An industry veteran, Alicia Gregory has over 25 years of experience in asset management, investing and credit analysis. She specializes in infrastructure, property and equity fund investments and currently oversees over $90 billion in assets at the Future Fund. Alicia sits on the advisory board of the Australian Investment Council and ILPA and has been a strong advocate for women in finance throughout her career.

Speaking of her appointment, Alicia Gregory said, “I am delighted to serve on BWBN and advance its mission of building, inspiring and empowering the next generation of female buy-side leaders. I will be taking this opportunity to grow the community, nurture the network’s growing female talent and help attract high potential young women to join this exciting industry.”

“We are beyond thrilled to have Alicia Gregory join our chapter,” said James Bell, Head of Bloomberg Australia and New Zealand. “Her long-standing track record of championing female leaders in the industry will help us further progress our commitment to promote greater meritocracy and diversity in finance.”

The chapter recently hosted a fireside chat and cocktails reception at the Bloomberg Sydney office featuring an intimate discussion between fellow executive member Cassandra Crowe, Vice President at T. Rowe Price and Alicia Gregory about their career journeys and passion for the buy-side.

Different journeys into finance

The female leaders discussed their career paths and what landed them in finance. Alicia shared her family roots in running a fruit shop and being one of the first in her family to attend university, where a passion for commerce eventually led to her current role. Cassandra opened up about how she was painfully shy as a kid, growing out of her shell and a budding interest in mathematics and economics, which became steppingstones for a career in finance.

In terms of career advice, Alicia acknowledged the combination of hard work – and a little bit of luck – that helped her get to where she is today. Cassandra shed light that one of the toughest career decisions she made was knowing when to quit, and encouraged the audience to be courageous to take that step when the role was not the right fit. Both women agreed on the importance of grit – getting back up from a setback and getting back into it. And the best way to get over imposter syndrome? They advised to wear your own shoes instead of trying to fit into someone else’s.

Industry trends to watch out for – ESG, AI and retirement

Industry trends to watch out for were centered around ESG, AI and retirement. The female practitioners pointed to ESG as a long-term trend and highlighted approaching investment through the lens of a twenty year horizon. Ultimately, the best and sustainable investments are simply good quality businesses that make a positive impact. Now more than ever, they emphasized the importance of investing on the right side of change. The second trend was the indisputable fact that AI, including chatGPT and BloombergGPT, would revolutionize the way we stay productive and how the advancement of technology will power the finance industry as a whole. Last but not least, retirement was something top of mind for both female leaders, who cautioned the opportunity for greater financial education, literacy and wellness, to enable Australians a better retirement outcome.

About BWBN
The Bloomberg Women’s Buy-side Network (BWBN) is a global network led by a group of senior industry leaders who aspire to serve as role models for the next generation of women on the buy-side. As the first women’s buy-side network of its kind, it was created to advance the social purpose of the industry and spotlight its leading practitioners. The network promotes meritocracy and inclusion in the industry, and educates on the diversity of career paths within the buy side.

The network started in Asia in 2018, with chapters opened in Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Japan. From 2021, the network expanded globally with chapters added in Australia, New Zealand, California, New York and Brazil.