Jonathan Miller: Our awards for investing excellence are taking a slightly different format this year, as we're announcing the winners here on our website. For the Rising Talent Award, our research team identified a person who has brought a new skillset to their team, namely in the areas of derivatives and macro views, which have all been additive to the process. They became a co-manager and impressed when these extra responsibilities came their way. The winner is Kacper Brzezniak, co-manager of the Allianz Strategic Bond Funds.
Holly Black: I'm joined by Kacper Brzezniak. He is from Allianz Global Investors and he's just won Morningstar's Rising Talent Award, congratulations.
Kacper Brzezniak: Thanks very much, Holly.
Black: So, what does winning this award mean to you?
Brzezniak: Yeah, it's great. I think firstly, I think it's a reflection really of the whole team. We have a small but extremely hardworking team and I can safely say that you know, every single member is indispensable and everybody adds value in different ways and so it's really a reflection of the performances that we've delivered, and that's really what matters. For me personally, of course, it's nice to get personal recognition as well, of course, yeah.
Black: So, what do you think? If you had to sum it up and it's a big question, but what does it take to be a good investor?
Brzezniak: Yeah. I've just been thinking about this. Perhaps you can, come back in 30 years and I'll have a better answer. I think you know, I think what's really being important for us, actually is to have a flexible approach and always be learning and not be stuck doing things in a particular way, because things can change, unexpected things, dynamics change, the paradigm changes and I think so for us is keep learning, you're always going to make mistakes, but the key is not to make the same ones again.
Black: And as you said that you are at the start of your investment journey 30, 40 maybe even more years to go, what would you say to someone -- a piece of advice for someone else just starting out in their career?
Brzezniak: Sure, I mean, I can certainly speak to what has worked for me. I think one key thing I would say to people, is to try to differentiate yourself somehow. I think it's natural to maybe look at, a successful portfolio manager or other successful people and try to emulate what what they do. But I think actually in order to fit in and to progress, I think it's important to be able to offer something different now that can be focusing on a different asset class, a different product, maybe expertise in options or spreadsheet modelling, whatever it is, I think being able to add value and be kind of the resident expert if you will in anything. I think it really, really helps, it's certainly something that has helped me.
Black: Kacper, thank you so much for your time and congratulations again. For Morningstar I'm Holly black.
