Career Path of a Senior Investment Manager at Global Investment Firm
Vasant's career path wasn't linear; after a post-Berkeley consulting stint and a master's in international relations, a tech startup role, and "a bit of soul searching," a pivot to finance followed, starting with the Federal Reserve Bank and Visa before a 20-year career in investment banking and management, culminating in their current role as a Senior Investment Manager. This journey involved "looking at companies, analyzing them, coming up with recommendations as to what were good investments and bad investments," demonstrating a diverse background that ultimately led to expertise in the financial sector.
Career Exploration, Financial Services, Investment Management, International Relations, Adaptability
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Vasant Mehta
Senior Investment Manager
Global Investment Management Company
U.C. Berkeley
Johns Hopkins University : M.A. International Economics and European Studies
Political Science, American Studies
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Vasant's career path highlights a non-linear progression, showcasing exploration across diverse sectors like consulting, public policy, tech, and finance, which is valuable for students to see that career paths aren't always linear.
2. His experience navigating the dot-com bubble burst and subsequent career pivot offers insights into resilience and adaptability in the face of economic uncertainty and shifting career goals.
3. Vasant's detailed description of his roles, from business development to risk management and finally investment management, provides a practical understanding of potential career trajectories within the finance industry, particularly for those interested in investment banking or asset management.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college, and any internships or jobs you had before your current role as senior investment manager.
My career path, from where I started at Cal to where I am today, wasn't a direct line. There was a lot of exploration and alternate careers before I ended up doing what I do currently.
After Berkeley, I initially worked as a consultant at a litigation consulting company for a year. This was mostly a stopgap measure before I went back to graduate school.
I pursued a master's in international relations, initially thinking I wanted to work in public policy, potentially for the government. This was the early 2000s. Being a Bay Area native, I had a change of heart and came back home.
I worked in the tech sector at a software startup for two years, in the wireless software space. My role was primarily as a business development manager, expanding the business in Europe and Asia, which were more advanced than the US in wireless technology. Unfortunately, we were a casualty of the telecom bubble and didn't make it, which was a painful experience.
Afterwards, I did some soul searching to figure out what I wanted to do going forward. This led me to pivot towards the financial world, realizing it was more interesting to me than I had thought during my undergraduate career.
I started with stepping stones in that industry. First, I worked as a contractor at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. Then I moved to the private sector at Visa, in their risk department, looking at bank settlement risk both in the US and at their overseas operations.
Finally, in 2005, I moved into the financial services world. I started at Morgan Stanley, joining the trading floor as a desk analyst. My role was to analyze companies and come up with recommendations on good and bad investments.
That's the world I've been in for the last 20 years, primarily on the investment banking side initially, and more recently on the investment management or asset management side. My role today as an investment manager involves the same thing: looking at companies, making recommendations, and helping create a portfolio of what we believe will be good investments, or what could potentially be bad investments to avoid or go short on.