Kirk Sims is an opportunity builder. With a career shaped by seizing the right moments at the right time, Kirk works every day to create valuable opportunities for emerging managers. His multifaceted background cultivated guiding principles that spearhead his current investment approach. With the goal of leaving the industry better than he found it, Kirk works diligently to embark some of his hard-earned wisdom on the next generation of investment professionals.

Kirk now heads the Emerging Manager Program at the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas, an initiative that focuses on building relationships with outperforming managers at the beginning of their life cycle. Sourcing top talent involves crossing paths with numerous up-and-coming managers. Kirk takes this opportunity to offer advice and mentorship—including to managers that are not currently positioned for an investment. Through supporting these managers in their early stages, Kirk is able to help the next generation navigate this industry, all while ensuring the retirement of Texas’ beloved teachers.

“You're finding talent early, you build that talent, you build that relationship, and those relationships are valuable for years. No matter how big that manager is, they remember that their early capital came from you.”

In this episode we discuss:

• Guiding emerging managers
• Shaping the next generation
• Why execution supersedes intention

Kirk was raised in a small town in Georgia but eventually moved to the nation’s capital of Washington D.C. to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration at Howard University. Kirk then earned an MBA from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Prior to TRS of Texas, Kirk oversaw a manager of manager’s retirement platform as well as an open architecture investment platform at Prudential Retirement. He was also responsible for the Emerging Manager Program at Teacher Retirement System of Illinois.

Resources:

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas | 2024 Emerging Manager Conference
• Teacher Retirement System of Texas | Emerging Manager Program

Listen to Other Successful Investors:

• Katherine Molnar (Fairfax County PORS) | Diversification 101
• Charmel Maynard (University of Miami) | Paying It Forward
• Aoifinn Devitt (Moneta Group) | Finding Clarity

Chapter Summaries:

[00:02:21]

A Business-Oriented Education

[00:04:40]

Starting at Brinson Partners

[00:11:46]

A Multifaceted Background

[00:16:05]

TRS of Illinois

[00:21:48]

Emerging Manager Program

[00:24:55]

TRS of Texas

[00:29:00]

A Day in the Life of Kirk Sims

[00:37:41]

Tips for Emerging Managers

[00:39:32]

Emerging Manager Conference

[00:42:10]

The Value of Mentorship

Disclaimer: This podcast is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. All content in this podcast reflects the opinions and views of the speakers. This podcast is for informational purposes only, without representation as to accuracy or completeness. The guest(s) on this episode did not have a client relationship with SEI Novus at the time of recording.

Intellectual curiosity is a guiding principle for Katherine Molnar, CIO at Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System (PORS). Katherine began investing as a teenager with the money she earned from summer jobs. She regularly questioned the critical elements of investing and often explored deep technical details in search of an answer. Eagerness for knowledge is a through line in Katherine’s career, motivating her to find innovative methods to strengthen portfolios.

Prior to working at Fairfax County PORS, Katherine spent a decade at AIG Investments (later Pinebridge Investments) where she became deeply acquainted with hedge funds and how they respond to various environments. This experience made for a seamless transition into her role at Fairfax County PORS, where the team was developing all-weather portfolios. Largely dependent on risk parity, this all-weather approach seeks to balance risks between numerous factors and maintain adequate performance regardless of the current state of economic growth and inflation.

“So whether that is expansion, contraction, trough or peak, we try to have a portfolio where something is always working.”

In this episode we discuss:

• Risk parity and building all-weather portfolios
• Intellectual curiosity
• The power of liquidity

After graduating from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance, Katherine spent two years in Frankfurt, Germany where she worked as an intern for J.P. Morgan. Katherine continued to expand her global perspective in Warsaw, Poland and London, England. In the former, she helped launch the first retail mutual fund in the polish market; in the latter, she worked as Vice President, Senior Research Analyst for AIG. She then transitioned to her current position of Chief Investment Officer at Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System. 

Resources:

• Top Traders Unplugged | 7 Allocator Series: Learnings from Fairfax County ft. Katherine Molnar and Andrew Spellar

Listen to Other Successful Investors:

• Charmel Maynard (University of Miami) | Paying It Forward
• Aoiffin Devitt (Moneta Group) | Finding Clarity
• Ari Bergmann (Penso Advisors) | The Edge in Hedges

Chapter Summaries:

[00:03:00]

An Early Start to Investing

[00:04:00]

Studying at UNC

[00:09:02]

Hedge Funds at AIG

[00:14:11]

Liquidity and Financial Crises

[00:27:28]

Risk Parity and All-Weather Portfolios

[00:40:38]

Relationships with Managers

[00:48:30]

Transitioning to Fairfax County PORS

[00:58:39]

Intellectual Curiosity

Disclaimer: This podcast is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. All content in this podcast reflects the opinions and views of the speakers. This podcast is for informational purposes only, without representation as to accuracy or completeness. The guest(s) on this episode did not have a client relationship with SEI Novus at the time of recording.

Growing up in Trinidad, Charmel Maynard was exposed to a wide array of cultures and backgrounds—an experience that taught him the sky’s the limit. Now, as CIO and Treasurer at the University of Miami, Charmel utilizes data-driven and DEI-focused methods to strengthen his investment processes. Throughout his career, Charmel stressed the importance of context when it came to investing, focusing on the “why” rather than just the numbers. 

Charmel attributes much of his success to the mentors who guided him throughout his career. Now, as a seasoned investment professional, Charmel works to empower the next generation of talent in the investment world. The inherent value of different perspectives and various backgrounds can offer unique insights in the investment arena—a principle that Charmel practices in his day-to-day. Charmel brings humility and critical thinking to his leadership approach, with a focus on enabling his team to reach its full potential.

Sidebar Quote:

“No matter how busy you get, you always have enough time to give back.”

”Too many people get caught up with the outcome instead of looking at the process. We are very, very focused on the process, because we are really endeavoring to produce consistent outcomes over time.”

In this episode we discuss:

• Charmel’s transition from mentee to mentor
• Diversity as a performance driver
• Building an investment office similar to “the greats”

Charmel began his professional career as an intern at J.P. Morgan. After graduating from Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, he returned to the firm, progressing to the vice president position. Following a decade-long career with J.P. Morgan, Charmel made his way to the sunshine state as the Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer at the University of Miami. He remains an active member in and around his community, serving various organizations such as Mead Art Museum Board and Black Angels Miami Board. He also offers mentorship to University of Miami students through his program, Coffee with Charmel.

Resources:

• University of Miami | Investments
• Knight Foundation | Summary of Knight Foundation Women-and-Minority-Owned Managers
• Knight Foundation | Knight Diversity of Asset Managers Research Series: Philanthropy 2022

Listen to Other Successful Investors:

• Aoifinn Devitt (Moneta Group) | Finding Clarity
• Shannon O’Leary (Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation) | Saying It Out Loud
• Karim Jetha (Longdean Capital) | Frontier Markets

Chapter Summaries: 

[00:02:21]

Growing up in Trinidad

[00:03:45]

Journey to Amherst

[00:08:03]

Interning at J.P. Morgan

[00:10:42]

Working Through the Financial Crisis

[00:20:09]

The Impact of Mentors

[00:27:18]

Transitioning to University of Miami

[00:32:19]

A Data-Driven and DEI-Focused Process

[00:41:58]

Mentoring Students

Disclaimer: This podcast is not investment advice, and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. All content in this podcast reflects the opinions and views of the speakers. This podcast is for informational purposes only, without representation as to accuracy or completeness. The guest(s) on this episode did not have a client relationship with SEI Novus at the time of recording.