London calling
Julie Ioffe, photographed in Central London in March
My parents instilled a love of learning in me. My dad still, to this day, has a set of encyclopedias that I read growing up. If you wanted to keep me busy as a child, you just had to give me a book. From that, I grew to love puzzles and solving problems
Though I was always very science and very math-oriented, I was also athletic and adventurous. I played volleyball in high school and university, and I’ve been a dancer most of my life. I got into running because somebody told me I couldn’t run a marathon. So I ran three. And to feed my sense of wanderlust, I’ve travelled to over 50 countries so far.
Career-wise, at first, I wanted to be a doctor. I was interested in the human brain, so I got a dual degree from the University of Calgary in neuroscience and clinical psychology. I published research on how to prevent memory loss associated with aging. I was very proud of all my work in the field, but I didn’t see myself making a career out of medicine.
My first job out of university was working at a TD branch in Calgary, my hometown, as a financial adviser. There, I discovered my interest in investing — the numbers, formulas and analytical nature of the work. I started my CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst designation) to progress my knowledge and began to learn more about macro investing and how it moves the world.
In 2015, when I was a macroeconomic analyst in New York City, I was given a project to study populism’s potential effects on the financial markets. I think no one thought this topic was relevant at the time, which is why it went to someone junior like me. As I was doing my analysis, Brexit and then Trump threw some unexpected curveballs. Suddenly, my work was at the centre of attention at a major global bank.
I came into the MBA at Smith very academically focused. But the program helped me recognize the importance of cultivating relationships with people. I’m great friends with several of my classmates to this day. I value their thoughts massively and they impact my life quite a bit.
After my MBA, I wanted to live in Europe. London seemed a logical place for a finance career. Today, I’m a fixed income portfolio manager at TD. London is such a vibrant city and has vast opportunities to meet very interesting senior people in finance and politics. I can call someone at the Bank of England and say, “Hey, I’m right next door. Can I pop over to discuss the effects of monetary policy on inequality?”
I want to make a difference in the world, and because I have this love of economics, I think that’s the way I can do it. I’m doing research on my own time now. My thesis is that monetary and fiscal policy should be for people. You’ll read about inflation and GDP numbers, but it’s missing the quality of life and satisfaction of an average citizen. We should also assess the inequality of opportunity and access to education or health care. This is the side of economics where I hope to make a positive impact.