Meet the manager: Jean Roche

If you weren’t a fund manager, what job would you do?

I grew up in the West of Ireland. The climate there might explain why I was always curious about being a weather forecaster – maths, technology and potentially TV studio excitement combined! With the increased application of machine learning and other types of AI, I imagine that this is one career path which is going to become all the more dynamic.

What was the proudest moment of your career?

When one of my sons, then aged five, told his (presumably surprised) teacher: “Mummy does shares” when asked what my job was.

What was the most difficult moment of your career and why?

I could not single out one particularly difficult moment in the nearly 25 years that have made up my career so far, because there have been many oscillations. However, 24 June 2016 was memorable for me, and many UK market participants, I suspect.

What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?

How do you spend your time away from work?

Tell us about the last book you read or the last podcast you listened to?

I listened to a podcast with the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management (which administers the country's $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund), Nicolai Tangen, which I found insightful and entertaining. I have also been reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid (by Jeff Kinney) series with one of my sons – what a tonic! I like this author, because he took the time to respond to a letter my older son wrote to him a couple of years ago as part of a project at school.

Where was the last place you went on holiday and why?

France, because I love the stylishness of the place and the different slant on the world that I get from being there. I find it remarkable that all three of the world’s top luxury companies (Dior, Hermes and LVMH) are French.

In your personal life, what would you like to achieve in the next 12 months?

We have just bought a piano, so I’d like to invest some time reminding myself how to play it.