Carolina is a quant that moved to the fintech world to make institutional asset management accessible to a next generation of consumer, who is set to inherit $100trillion over the next decade and demand more digitalisation, personalisation as well as socialisation.
In 2022 she joined Arabesque AI and served for two years as CEO, leveraging data and technology to enable portfolio managers construct customized portfolios of single stocks at scale.
Before joining Arabesque AI, Carolina was Global Head of Product, Solutions & Quant at Schroders. She was involved in various technology projects, including mass customization and blockchain technology, aimed at delivering personalized investment tokens.
In 2013, she assumed the role of Global Head of Solutions at Lombard Odier IM, where she pioneered sustainability initiatives long before they gained widespread attention. She spearheaded the integration of ESG across asset classes and developed some of the first SDG-aligned thematic investment propositions.
Carolina boasts an extensive quantitative background and spent nearly a decade working in Bob Litterman’s quantitative team at GSAM. She began her career 20 years ago with factor-based investing, which has since evolved into more adaptive AI models.
Carolina holds a PhD in Finance from London Business School, an MBA in Finance from the Université Catholique de Louvain, and a BSc in Economics from Université Libre de Bruxelles. Fluent in Italian, French, and English, she possesses diverse interests that encompass modern art, architecture, theatre, skiing, sailing and rowing.
Hall C (Level 2)
Elevating ESG
The tide of global ESG investments has slowed in recent years, with 2024 marking the first year of net outflows from sustainability-focused equity funds. This trend is driven by accusations of a lack of clarity about whether the invested dollars are truly promoting sustainability; investigations suggest that only slightly more than half of this spending is directed towards sustainable companies. This shift is accompanied by a renewed focus on economic profit, as investors grow weary of the "politicisation of ESG".
Is there still a strong case for ESG or sustainability-focused investment? What works, what doesn’t, and what needs fixing?