Sygnus educates and engages university students on the world of alternative investments

TEAM members from Sygnus recently participated as panellists at The University of the West Indies Young Investors’ Club’s Thursday meeting on the Mona campus to discuss the topic of alternative investments.

Participating in the discussion were Stephen Wright, assistant vice-president of private equity and mergers and acquisition; Chadanthony Coke, investment banker junior analyst; as well as Haughton Richards, investment management associate. The 90-minute discussion highlighted the Sygnus journey over the last five years as well as the benefits of the alternative investment space and the importance of using creative thinking to differentiate oneself in the financial field, as well as problem solving and agility skills.

As regional leaders in alternative investment, Richards expressed the importance of the firm educating the students and other members of the general public on the subject.

“As a former graduate of The University of the West Indies and as a member of the Caribbean’s leading alternative investments firm we find it imperative to educate our future investors and the general public about the alternative asset class, as traditional forms of investments continue to yield lower levels of returns on a risk-adjusted basis and the general understanding of alternatives is still relatively low in Jamaica,” he said.

“In periods of heightened volatility, rising interest rates and record levels of inflation, the benefits of having alternative investments in one’s portfolio is paramount.”

The UWI Young Investors’ Club is focused on improving their members’ awareness and understanding of all forms of investment management. It is a major part of their mission to help members develop practical, hands-on investment skills and test them in stimulated markets. Present young investors expressed how insightful and informative they found the discussion, lauding the Sygnus speakers’ presentations.

Director of public operations for The UWI Young Investors’ Club, Abigail Johnson shared that having had discussions with a few Sygnus members she was, “eager to learn more about the average journey of an individual in both marketing and finance”.

From left: Some of the executive members of The UWI Young Investors’ Club: Kymani Mills, director of investment research and Khalil Mitchell, president/chair; Stephen Wright, Sygnus assistant vice-president of private equity and mergers and acquisition; Anadeen Nembhard, head of people culture and talent management, Sygnus; Haughton Richards, Sygnus investment management associate; Chad-anthony Coke, Sygnus investment banking junior analyst; Abigail Johnson, the club’s director of public operations, and Jordina Ibekwe, director of treasury.