Career With Lumyna: Q&A with Capucine Palud

Be creative and speak up, as many approaches can be taken to achieve the same objective. Stay humble, as you will learn from others every day.

Capucine Palud
Lumyna

Could you provide a brief description of your role and responsibilities at Lumyna?

I work in the Product Management team at Lumyna. We give investors access to some of the world’s leading hedge fund and alternative asset strategies, by helping third-party investment managers to launch liquid alternatives UCITS funds on our platform. My role involves ongoing research into the entire hedge fund universe, understanding trends, and identifying interesting opportunities. I then help select and work with the investment managers and other teams at Lumyna to design, construct, and launch new investment products that meet the changing needs of investors.

How has your career evolved?

I started my career in corporate strategy at Natixis Global Asset Management, working on business plans to develop new market entry strategies globally. Then I joined Henderson Global Investors (now Janus-Henderson), where I worked in product development for the hedge fund department. I was responsible for the hedge fund launch projects, working with portfolio managers, prime brokers, administrators, legal advisors, and internal operational teams.

What does a day on the job look like for you?

There is rarely a typical day! Depending on the stage of the projects I am working on, my day is usually a combination of managing the different workstreams of fund launch projects; speaking with external investment managers to understand their needs; preparing project plans; discussing new products with our distribution team; helping to draft legal and regulatory documentation; and finding solutions to issues that can arise around IT, fund operations, compliance, and investment risk. In addition, I perform reviews on our product range by looking at market trends and thinking about which funds would be best suited for our platform.

What does it take to be successful in your field?

Being organized is vital. Many roles I have had, and particularly my current one at Lumyna, involve a lot of multi-tasking. With many projects on the go at once, and at various stages of completion, it is key to keep on top of everything I am involved with. Complementary to that is being as collaborative as possible. With numerous stakeholders and participants involved in many of my daily tasks, both internal and external, it is essential to build good rapport and work proactively with people.

What advice would you give to someone looking to embark on a career in this industry?

Capitalize on what you are good at, and try to excel in it. Be creative and speak up, as many approaches can be taken to achieve the same objective. Stay humble, as you will learn from others every day.

How has Preqin helped you during your career?

Even from the very start of my career, I have used Preqin to better understand the alternative assets industry and the current landscape of specific asset classes and sectors, particularly in areas where the information is not always easy to find. In my role at Lumyna, Preqin’s database has been particularly useful in sourcing and conducting analysis on various hedge fund managers and strategies, in order to find the best and most appropriate funds across specific markets and disciplines.

Since 2007, Lumyna has been providing clients with leading investment solutions to meet their diverse needs. At the core of this offering is our pioneering and market-leading Alternative UCITS funds platform – Lumyna Funds; bringing the best of the alternative investment universe to the regulated and liquid UCITS marketplace. Previously part of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the business was acquired by Generali in November 2018 as part of the build-out of their multi-boutique growth strategy. For our clients the acquisition provides a continuity of the existing fund range; the assurance of service from the existing team of investment professionals; and the confidence brought by the backing of one of the largest Insurance and Asset Management companies in Europe. The new name, Lumyna, represents the renewed pioneering spirit we bring to the market, alongside the institutional controls and processes that has helped us become the largest Alternative UCITS funds platform. www.lumyna.com