Policy Breakfast with Manny Roman, CEO of PIMCO

May 29, 2018

Transforming and growing a successful organization in the digital age

As part of its Breakfast Policy Series, the French-American Foundation hosted Emmanuel “Manny” Roman, CEO of PIMCO, a fixed-income powerhouse and one of the largest and most successful asset managers in the world. The guest speaker shared his thoughts on the global economy and geopolitics, rise of populism and income inequality, transformation of businesses resulting from technological innovation, and strategies for hiring and retaining top talent at a successful organization.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Roman gave an overview of the current state of the world from an economic angle. He then touched on the evolution of organizations like PIMCO in the digital age, including the importance of data acquisition and the need to invest in AI. Data aggregation is becoming increasingly powerful, enabling companies like Amazon to become quasi-monopolies. The implications are profound, creating opportunities and threats, and complex social issues.

He spoke about the rise of populism, emphasizing the seriousness of the global inequality problem and social mobility, and elaborated on the importance of a diverse workplace on which PIMCO focuses in order to build best teams for best results. An avid reader and a lover of Proust, Mr. Roman wrapped up the discussion, on a more personal note stressing the importance of reading.

Photos credit: Kari Bjorn www.karibjorn.com

Learn more about Emmanuel “Manny” Roman