[ C O V E R
I N T E R V I E W
A
dam Conn is a decorated
industry veteran with a
story to tell. Having worked
on both the buy- and sell-side
throughout his 30-year career, he
has become one of the most influ-
ential buy-siders in Europe and a
community voice of the profession.
Recognising this, The TRADE
handed Conn the coveted Lifetime
Achievement award at its Leaders
in Trading awards ceremony in
October .
As an award that occasionally
goes to an individual near the end
of his career, Conn was very quick
to assure us that his journey still
has a way to go yet as he takes Bal-
lie Gifford into the new post-Mi-
FID II world as head of trading for
the asset manager.
Conn started from the bottom –
as he described it – but has earned
his way to the top through his work
and reputation.
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A D A M
C O N N ]
taught me the importance of hu-
mility where possible. We all make
mistakes and I learnt very much
that it’s okay to make mistakes pro-
vided you learn from them. That
has been the ethos I have found
throughout my career, to be open
and honest and if you do make a
mistake then be honest about it
and learn from it.”
‘Don’t go making enemies’
At Scott Goff Layton & Co, Conn
met fund managers from GT
Management while undertaking
his industry exams. One day he
got a phone call from the firm
saying they were looking to set up
a centralised dealing desk. Conn
jumped at the opportunity. “They
asked if I would like to be a part
of that and I ended up joining at
the beginning of 1987,” he explains.
“It was an interesting time, in
those days there wasn’t any FIX
“Back then you really did start at the bottom
of the industry and every new responsibility
you were given, like putting prices on the
board was something to cherish.”
He points to his mentors and the
opportunities to have worked for
buy- and sell-side firms as having
enabled him to build up his exper-
tise and stature within the industry.
He started life in the industry as
a Blue Button on the floor of the
London Stock Exchange with Scott
Goff Layton & Co just before the
Big Bang. A tough but enjoyable
role, Conn says he learnt a lot
during his time there.
“Back then you really did start
at the bottom of the industry and
every new responsibility you were
given, like putting prices on the
board, was something to cherish,”
says Conn. “I think that first role
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TheTrade
Winter 2017
connectivity, it was all ledgers and
spread sheets. It was a fast learning
curve but I am very proud of what
I learned at GT.”
He oversaw the UK dealing busi-
ness and over time took on a more
senior role in London. By 1991,
Conn had moved to Hong Kong
with GT to re-establish a buy-side
trading desk where he says it took
time to adjust to the different cul-
tures, but this was something Conn
says he relished.
“In the very early days my boss
Philip Ray, who was the CEO of GT
Management in Hong Kong, took
me into a room and said, ‘Don’t
get too cocky just because you’ve
come out here from London. There
are a lot of people here who are
good at what they do and this is a
small town so don’t go making any
enemies!’ I’m a great believer in
embracing different cultures and
that was an opportunity to do so.
It’s all been a constant but enjoy-
able learning curve.”
In 1994, GT Management was in
the process of being taken over and
Conn spent some time on the sell-
side before moving back to London
in 1998, working for Instinet
Europe, which was very much at
the forefront of electronic trading
at the time.
It was during this time Conn