SYDNEY — Working on a trading floor takes tenacity.
UBS's director of institutional equity sales in Australia, James Ledgerwood, has it in spades.
He was brought over from Citibank in 2015 to work under George Kanaan, a managing director who some describe as the "king of the block trades." His resume also includes his pursuing an MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management and a stint at the Royal Bank of Scotland.
His role at UBS is to advise large institutional clients on where to invest in the ASX 200, providing them strong stock options, and protecting their interests across the UBS franchise.
"My clients rely on me being their eyes and ears within UBS and help provide the best stock opportunities," Ledgerwood said.
He also mentors UBS's young talent coming through the ranks.
Here's how his typical workday goes.
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Ledgerwood has been in the industry for almost a decade and at UBS for over two years.
Ledgerwood followed in his family's footsteps into the finance industry, working in equities.
After a three-year stint in research, Ledgerwood soon realised sales was his calling.
"I just enjoyed the interaction with the clients," he said. "You're speaking with very intelligent people who've been doing the job for many more years, a lot more than me. Even though you're giving your ideas and views, you're always learning often more than you're actually giving.
"I love the intellectual debate, how you have to be across everything — the macro, the micro, the central banks, market moves and flows. You really have to be across everything, and maybe you're only across it a little bit, but you should be able to piece together a worldview."
Ledgerwood leaves home at 5:45 a.m. and catches a bus to work. His commute into the city takes about 20 minutes, during which he reads up on overnight market moves and news. The UBS office in Sydney is at Chifley Plaza, a short walk from Martin Place Station and Circular Quay.
He starts work around 6:15 a.m. His first task is to organise his day: "What is my plan of attack?" This takes him about 10 minutes.
"I try to identify one to two things I must achieve to be successful that day," he said.
"I then spend the next hour monitoring overnight market moves, reading WSJ, The Australian, AFR, Business Insider, and UBS research to generate ideas for Australian/New Zealand fund managers."
Other traders are here early too, focused on their morning routines. There's some banter among the staff members about cars, cryptocurrency, politics, and coffee.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider