Why Those Credit Suisse Executives Seem So Junior

Discussion in 'Wall St. News' started by RedSun, Apr 6, 2021.

  1. RedSun

    RedSun

    I know ages and educational backgrounds do not speak for everything. But I have been wondering about the education and work background about the two Credit Suisse executives just let go.

    Lara Warner, BS out of Pen State in 1988. Worked for AT&T and Lehman Brothers as Equity Research. No quantitative background or capital market background.

    Brian Chin, BS Rutgers on accounting. Worked at US DA office, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte & Touche, then Credit Suisse from 2003.

    From what I know, Wall Street firms hired a lot of blue blooded MBAs from top B schools. A lot of them started from Sales & Trading, Equity Research and other departments. Then they also hired a lot of PhDs in their risk management department.

    But Credit Suisse has not done any of that. I just do not know why. Maybe personal relations and loyalty with the firm is far important?
     
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  2. newwurldmn

    newwurldmn

    Banks want smart, hardworking, competitive, and hungry people. They don't need to be from the top schools, but being from a top school generally shows you to be smart, hardworking, and competitive.
     
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  3. Uhh.. Lara Warner, according to your post, worked in equity research at Lehman Brothers...so she definitely has capital markets experience. Brian Chin looks like his background is more in risk, having a pedigree from major consulting & auditing firms.
     
  4. 2rosy

    2rosy

    the 2 people you mention were not in sales or trading. what is required to make sure that a client doesn't blow up? run automated risk calculations that are well known make sure client<threshold on blow up say this was a once in a century (or millennia) occurrence or X sigma event.
    Could all be automated
     
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  5. snowman80

    snowman80

    as you go higher on the corporate totem pole focus shifts away from academic background, book smarts etc etc towards political maneuvering, careerism and generally playing the game right

    and so analyst programs are stuffed with ivy league grads but when you look at upper level management, 2-4 levels below the C suite, you have a mishmash of educational backgrounds
     
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  6. RedSun

    RedSun

    I think this is to the point. It is more relationship and politics than technical background.

    I remember the old days, we only recruited from top B schools. We never went to campus like Rutgers and Pen State for hire undergraduates. Those undergraduates were mostly some kids from the corporate.

    The same with those top accounting and consulting firms. Hard for the kids from second tier schools to crack inside....
     
  7. Fain

    Fain

    Risk department is a job for Quant bitches with little imagination. Most from top-tier schools will have higher roles in the company.
     
  8. RedSun

    RedSun

    Do not make any sense at all.

    This is how some bank risk management department is set up. The front office bankers and traders get the bonus on profit. The risk management and mid office are based on firm profit. But with that $4.5 B loss, I do not think most of the front office people receive good bonus....
     
  9. Fain

    Fain

    Lack of good bonus structure deters the best and brightest from Risk jobs. They will just leave for a pay for performance type job.
     
  10. JSOP

    JSOP

    Some are just very good at navigating the corporate maze and climbing the corporate ladder. They know the right person to "network" with, the right thing to say, the right thing to do at the right time with the right person. And they are able to pull off spectacular results at the right time in front of the right person. All those investment firms, they are like the "American Idol", as much as they value academic credentials, they look more for the "wow factor", the "midas touch", this magic factor. If you've got it, you can make money grow (or at least seem to be able to) in a relatively short time, you are the man/woman. When you have this "wow factor" or the "midas touch", the sky is the limit how high you can climb. And when there are no positions for them to promote you to, they will even create one for you. Since past performance is never an indication of the future. You are only good until you are not especially when you've never been good except at "networking".

    Brian Chin certainly fits this pattern. Read it for yourself his employment performance and history. https://www.efinancialcareers.com/news/2021/04/brian-chin-credit-suisse

    For Lara Warner, I think she's more like a scapegoat in this fiasco. She's a compliance and risk management officer, a window-dressing post that is hardly effective in reining in anybody who wants to bet big on any ventures especially given her educational background and employment history. She is a science major and to me a junior equity analyst with some experience in telecommunication. If you really want somebody who knows what he/she is talking about regarding managing risk, somebody who can do some serious risk management and compliance, you want either somebody like Taleb or some former SEC officer, not a junior equity analyst. But when s*** hits the fan, just like that Jeremy Irons character said to Demi Moore's character in the movie "Margin Call", "I need a head to feed to the traders". So just like Demi Moore's character, Warner is it so other people higher up's jobs are secure. See for yourself if this is the case: https://www.bloombergquint.com/mark...cing-risk-chief-in-looming-executive-shake-up

    Anyway, don't worry though they will get their golden parachutes and they will be paid well. And despite their f*** up's, they will still be highly sought after still in all the industries. They must be flooded with phone calls from headhunters right now and I wouldn't be surprised if they've already got several offers waiting for them. This is the difference between those who've made it to the top and the little guys like us. With them, when they get fired because of their f*** up's, as long as they didn't do anything criminal, it's like they get a huge promotion with a golden parachute package and even better job prospects with even higher salary. With us little guys, when we get fired heaven forbid because of tiny little mistakes, we get tossed out with nothing.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2021
    #10     Apr 7, 2021
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