In-Conversation with Mr. Shreenivas Kunte, CFA, CIPM

CFA Society India had the pleasure of interviewing Shreenivas Kunte, CFA, CIPM for its current edition of member newsletter.

Parvez: Congratulations on being appointed as the Director of CFA Society India. How has been your volunteering journey with the Society?

Shreenivas: Thank you. Responsibility has increased quite a bit and so, trying hard to give the best. From the time in Tokyo to the opportunities to work for different committees in India – be it Advocacy and the Jan Nivesh Abhiyan or taking Master Classes on Python / ML, working as a volunteer has always been very rewarding.

Parvez: You have diverse experience pursuing different roles in your professional career. Please share your journey as a guide for young professionals.

Shreenivas: My background in computer engineering has been useful but it is the CFA charter that has helped provide recognition. The CFA charter has been instrumental in letting me work in different geographic locations – Singapore/HK, Japan, now India and pivot across a wide array of job functions – academia as well as investment practice.

Parvez: What motivated you to pursue the CFA program and how it helped in advancing your career?

Shreenivas: As a technologist I helped design and build sophisticated systems – from quantitative databases to FX and derivatives. I understood what was going on but to clarify concepts, I wanted to get through the fundamentals and the rigour the CFA programme offered. This is where the CFA exams helped, and in a way had a transformative effect on the career roles I could take up.

Parvez: You have a flair for technology. With artificial intelligence and machine learning becoming an integral part, what are your views on transformation in the financial sector?

Shreenivas: AI and ML have been transforming everything we do. The speed at which things can be done is getting faster and better. And it’s not just investment decision making. Creative content, health/medicine related work, autonomous vehicles, AI is transforming human endeavour to unprecedented levels. Core financial concepts like earning a return and creating value for stakeholders are unlikely to change but like everything else, the financial sector too is changing.

Parvez: What is your advice to candidates aspiring to become CFA charterholders?

Shreenivas: Focus on  applying the concepts one learns in the body of knowledge to real life situations. Each one of us has a significant responsibility to help people who are not in the know, with basic financial literacy. Reading and expressing well-formed opinions through written content is another area where all of us need to do more.

About Shreenivas, CFA, CIPM

Shreenivas Kunte, CFA, CIPM, leads the content and automation aspects at HDFC AMC. He has an avid interest in promoting AI and Machine Learning use in investment decision-making. Prior to joining HDFC AMC, Shreenivas was Director of Professional Learning and Advocacy at CFA Institute. Before that Shreenivas worked as the country trading strategist for Citi in Japan. He has worked for over two decades in the investment industry. He has worked closely with key stakeholders, both in Japan and in India’s topmost institutions, including regulatory bodies. Shreenivas is a computer engineer and has a Ph.D from IIT Bombay. Shreenivas was awarded the CFA Charter in 2003 and a Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) from the CFA Institute.

About Parvez Abbas, CFA

Parvez Abbas is working as an Assistant Director at Acuity Knowledge Partners catering to banking clients. He has 16 years of experience spanning across investment research, credit solutions and structured products. He has served global clients including bulge bracket banks and asset managers providing solutions across securitization, credit risk management and portfolio analytics. In the past, Parvez has worked for Cians Analytics, Genpact and American Express. He is an MBA finance and a CFA charterholder.