Voice of Experience: Lupin Rahman, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Emerging Markets, PIMCO

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“A valuable lesson I learned over the years is to make one’s mark head first,” said Lupin Rahman, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Emerging Markets at PIMCO.

Having navigated between academia, the public sector, and the investment management industry, Rahman has developed expertise in how to successfully transition to new opportunities.

When you begin a role in a new company or industry, she explained, focus on networking and building your personal brand. “The first six months are extremely critical to your brand capital and in shaping how others view your work. It’s also the time when networking is the easiest.”

Transitioning between Sectors

“Each phase of my career starting from my PhD from the LSE to international policymaking at the IMF has been integral to building a strong foundation for my current role at PIMCO,” said Rahman who is a portfolio manager at PIMCO managing emerging market external funds.

Rahman views her successful transition between different sectors within the economics profession “to be largely attributed to being open to new opportunities and cultivating the contacts and skills for taking advantage of them as they came up.”

She continued, “I have been tremendously lucky to have had managers who have developed my professional skills and pushed me to strive for new challenges in my career.”

“But when I reflect back, an integral part of my success has been the ability to take the plunge – the risk of trying something new” she explained. “It has really taken my career forward.”

Her advice for individuals interested in changing sectors is to determine what they want to achieve professionally with a clear end goal and key milestones in mind. “Really think about the opportunities you are given, and what it means in the context of your career goals. And if you are in the early phase of changing sectors, develop a roadmap to get the experience you need to get you to the end point.”

For Rahman, that goal was a career in economics and finance. “I started my PhD knowing I wanted to work as an economist and apply economics principals to understanding everyday decisions. Very early on in my career, I did several internships in Washington to get exposure to what that would feel like.”

Investing in the Emerging Markets

Currently Rahman is managing dollar denominated emerging market funds and focuses on the macroeconomic assessment and strategy for the emerging markets team at PIMCO. “The asset class is transitioning to the mainstream and emerging markets are moving up the credit quality ladder which is why global investors are diversifying more and more into emerging markets,” she explained.

“As the traditional areas of investment are shifting so is the macro debate surrounding emerging markets and their linkage to developed economies,” said Rahman. Part of this involves “educating global investors about the asset class and why they should be taking emerging market risk.”

According to Rahman one of the big questions facing the investment management industry is the repricing of “risk-free” assets. “In the current environment where there are important questions being raised about the US economy’s long-term fiscal path and Europe’s debt sustainability, we have to ask ourselves how should we assess credit risks in advanced economies and what this means for financial market volatility and performance” she said.

Advice For Women in Investment Management

“Finance is a relatively high pressure industry,” Rahman explained. “Working hours are also less flexible which can be challenging for women who are primary caregivers.”

She continued, “The industry tends to reward individuals more than groups which can almost be a ‘soft’ barrier for women who tend to take less credit for individual work.” Rahman notes that “These aren’t immutable norms and often it is a matter of finding the right fit.”

“I would advise young professionals to build a solid foundation in terms of professional credentials. It’s the basis for success in any career,” she said. “Make sure that foundation is as solid as possible. Invest the time in your industry to learn about both the details of your area and also the key players in the sector. ”

Rahman advised senior women to build a wide network, both internally within the organization, and externally in other organizations. “A lot of decisions at the senior level occur informally rather than through formal channels. Women and ethnic minorities might not be part of those groups naturally, so networking is extremely important for those groups.”

Additionally she emphasized “developing communication, negotiation and leadership skills which are extremely helpful in maneuvering different corporate cultures as well as in dealing with high pressure situations.”