Marco Bardelli of BDG Singapore explains a typical day as a chief executive officer of an independent asset management company, including how to be effective in this role.

Date: Nov 2011

Tags: Management, Compliance, Leadership

• For Marco Bardelli, there is no typical day in his role, given that it is determined by the specific task of the day
• Bardelli has been setting up BDG Singapore’s operations for the last couple of years, focusing his time on regulatory issues during the licensing process – and then operations to build the platform, marketing and promotional activities, and then hiring
• Bardelli said that key to having a successful career in this role is to be able to manage people – and being able to manage client assets doesn’t mean that will be the case

According to Marco Bardelli in an interview, there is no typical day for him in his role, given that it is determined by the specific task of the day.

However, there are regular committee meetings on investment, compliance and human resources issues. Plus, there is the hiring process and meeting candidates, as well as meeting clients. Further, it is key to keep an eye on the markets – all of which combines to keep Bardelli very busy on a daily basis.

A changing role

For Bardelli, who has been setting up BDG Singapore’s operations for the last couple of years, he said he was focusing a lot of his time on regulatory issues during the licensing process.

This then turned to a focus on operations to build the platform, followed by marketing and promotional activities, and then being active from an HR perspective to attract and onboard new employees.

Likes and dislikes

The most exciting part of Bardelli’s role, he said, is that there is never a dull day. Yet that can also be a downside of the role.

For example, he said he envies those chief executives who have time to spend a day on the golf course – for him, running an independent asset management firm, he said he doesn’t have the luxury of time at the moment.

Advice to those aspiring to this role

Bardelli said that key to having a successful career in this role is to be able to manage people – and being able to manage client assets doesn’t mean that will be the case.

The focus should also not just be on activities and areas specific to the financial industry, but also more broad-based such as HR and operations.

Bardelli also said it is important to have an MBA, as this will help in giving people the set of tools which they need when handling situations specific to the career path.

Being with the same group for a long time can also help, he explained, in terms of understanding how an organisation works internally and who the key individuals are.