After a colleague recommended this educational opportunity, I discovered that this learning opportunity provides a comprehensive perspective on alternative investments, tailored specifically for institutional investors. Following his advice has greatly enhanced my investment skills through its practical-oriented approach. I am grateful for following his advice as the practical-oriented education has significantly enhanced my investment skills.
Completing a postgraduate degree part-time is tough work that requires discipline and, above all, a lot of understanding from partners and family. I was extremely fortunate and had great support from my wife and my professional and private environment. The biggest benefit of the CAIA program was to broaden my investment horizons and learn more about alternative investments and their valuation. The many practical examples, such as the calculation of arbitrage strategies for convertible bonds, have significantly improved my understanding of alternative investment strategies.
I'd like to highlight a transformation not directly tied to a specific asset class but to the future of issuing structured retail products like certificates. This evolution is driven by tokenization, the process of creating a digital representation of an asset on a blockchain. Tokenization has the potential to revolutionize the conventional issuance process, bringing democratization to the world of finance.
Vienna, my hometown, is not only the world’s most livable city in the world but also a thriving hub for Central and Eastern Europe, making it an ideal gateway to the growing eastern European market. In my point of view, the process of reshoring, which aims to bring production back to Europe, is a great opportunity for this region, as it could have a significant impact on Central and Eastern European countries, especially Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.
Advice I would recommend to anyone on their career journey: Embrace risk-taking and step out of your comfort zone to gain valuable experience and foster personal growth. As a trader, it's crucial to stay active and avoid overthinking. Sir Richard Branson serves as a prime example of this philosophy, fearlessly pursuing new ventures that others deemed impossible. His entrepreneurial journey, starting at a young age, transformed countless ideas into reality. Even today, his curiosity drives him to seek new experiences. Therefore, embrace challenges and remain curious throughout your career!
About Guenther Kornfellner, CAIA
Guenther is a seasoned professional with more than twenty years of extensive experience in equity and derivatives trading for the EMEA region. His career includes serving as a portfolio manager for a Global Emerging Markets hedge fund as well as long only funds in Eastern European and African equities.
Since 2015, he has been a member of the Vienna Exchange Academy, where he holds numerous courses on investment as well as crypto topics. In addition to his professional endeavors, he actively contributes to academia by writing a dissertation on the topic of tokenization and its impact on the investment behavior of retail investors. Besides pursuing a doctoral degree (DBA) at Middlesex University, he is a CFA, CAIA and FRM charterholder. He also a lecturer at several universities of applied sciences. Moreover, his expertise extends to being a court-certified expert in derivative financial products. Guenther received his CAIA in 2008.