Life during lockdown; how Crestbridge's Michael Johnson has been coping in the current situation
Speaking to International Investment, Crestbridge's Group Head of Fund Services Michael Johnson discusses working from home during the lockdown, how Crestbridge has been supporting our clients during this time, and the importance of technology in ensuring seamless business continuity over the past few months.
Michael began by explaining how Covid-19 has affected the way he has been working, stating that it's important not to overlook the fact that working from home means you have less cultural interaction with the juniors within the company. New hires, and people who are at relatively early stages in their careers, are an incredible source of intelligence and enthusiasm. They can provide a fresh perspective on things, and can often tackle problems and issues from an acute and insightful viewpoint.
He goes on to discuss some challenges which the investment industry is facing at the moment, highlighting fundraising as a prominent example of this, especially where firms are trying to raise funds for an illiquid product, where liquidity can often be at a premium. In terms of the administration for the industry, Michael attributes the biggest challenges there to be in the supply chain; administrators who have the shortest supply chains will tend to be the most resilient, as this affects how the service they provide is delivered.
He concludes by emphasising the possibility that individuals and institutions may start to hedge against possible similar events in the future; almost all aspects of society were woefully under-prepared for a pandemic on this scale, and Michael imagines people will be keen not to make the same mistake again. In the investment industry, he argues that this could take the form of tactical portfolio allocations and hedging strategies.
Click here to read the full interview with Michael Johnson.