Tag: Careers Talk

Video Description

Careers Talk June 2026

Join us for an unfiltered conversation with CQF alumni on what it really takes to break into quant finance – and how AI is transforming the work of professionals in the industry. From first roles and pivotal projects to real-world AI use cases and how quant roles are changing, this panel will share practical lessons, honest challenges, and actionable advice for anyone exploring or building a career in quantitative finance.

Speaker Bio

Frederick Tremblay

Frederick Tremblay is Vice‑President, Investment Solutions at Desjardins Group, Canada’s leading cooperative financial group. He also serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Desjardins Investments and Desjardins Trust.

Over more than two decades at Desjardins, he has held a variety of senior roles spanning investment management, risk, and operations. Today, he leads the Investment Solutions business, with responsibility for strategy, product manufacturing, and execution across a broad range of investment solutions. He also oversees the strategic direction, governance, and operational performance of Desjardins’ fiduciary and custody platforms.

His career reflects a continuous progression from technical foundations to executive leadership, with a strong focus on how quantitative insight, risk discipline, and operational excellence come together in real‑world asset management.

He holds a master’s degree in finance, the CFA charter, FRM certification, and the Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF).

Naomi Yarrow

Naomi Yarrow is Head of Valuations at NatWest Group, operating at Managing Director level, with over 20 years’ experience spanning front‑office trading, quantitative valuation, and model risk. She has held senior leadership roles across Capital Risk Oversight, Valuation Policy, and Model Management, and works extensively with regulators and executive committees. Naomi holds a PhD in Chemistry and completed the Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF) in 2006, combining deep quantitative expertise with senior‑level governance and strategic oversight.

Tony Parish

Tony Parish is Chief Investment Officer at Alphastar Capital Management, with over 20 years of experience in investment management spanning quantitative research, machine learning, and large-scale data systems. His work sits at the intersection of finance, technology, and data science.

He builds and deploys machine learning models in Python to analyze complex datasets and support investment decision-making, integrating predictive analytics, optimization, and risk management into practical portfolio applications. A central theme of his work is innovation, particularly how cross-domain thinking can surface insights that conventional approaches may overlook.

He explores these ideas through his writing at SingularLinks.com and in his book, Singular Links: The Innovator’s Guide to Compounding Connections. He holds an MBA from the Fordham Gabelli School of Business, the CFA charter, and the Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF). His experience spans equities, fixed income, alternatives, and insurance products, grounded in rigorous analysis and real-world implementation.

Video Description

Careers Talk July 2025

This session aims to equip quantitative finance professionals with skills to excel in communication during high-stakes scenarios.

Speaker Bio

Ed Ma

Ed Ma is an enterprise leader with deep experience driving innovation across capital markets, technology platforms, and cross-functional operations. As COO for Bloomberg’s Sell Side OMS business, he leads strategic planning, product delivery, and execution across global trading workflows. Previously, he headed Bloomberg’s BVAL Municipal Pricing team, where he advanced algorithmic pricing, expanded asset class coverage, and aligned global teams across product, engineering, and go-to-market functions. Ed brings a pragmatic, data-driven, and outcomes-focused approach to enterprise product leadership.

Video Description

Careers Talk June 2025

With specialised skills that are in high demand around the world, quant finance professionals are often forgiven a multitude of mistakes on their resumes. From foundational elements such as incorrect formatting and length, through to presenting complex academic research in an unappealing or uninformative way, these errors can limit opportunity and advancement.

Having a top-quality resume can be the difference between getting a job, and getting the job you really want. As a crucial piece of personal marketing, it is particularly important for those looking to move into more senior roles, or find work in a new market.

Join Brian Cullinan as he provides unique insights into building an impactful resume. Brian will outline common mistakes to avoid, provide useful hints and tips on developing an engaging document, and offer some advice on standing out from the crowd during the recruitment process.

Speaker Bio

Brian Cullinan

Brian Cullinan is a search consultant at Capital Markets Recruitment, specializing in quantitative research recruitment across EMEA, APAC and the US for hedge funds and proprietary trading firms. He has five years’ experience in front-office search and a track record of successfully executing searches across most major asset classes. Prior to joining Capital Markets Brian he was a consultant with Dartmouth Partners in London.