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UCL Connect USA: In Conversation with… Simona Paravani-Mellinghoff
31 March 2021, 12:00 pm–1:00 pm
Join the UCL New York Alumni Club for a fascinating discussion between two successful leaders and STEM advocates, in celebration of Women’s History Month.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Alumni Relations Team
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UCL donor and academic, Simona Paravani-Mellinghoff, is passionate about the power of education. Simona is Industrial Professor at the UCL Institute of Finance Technology, where she teaches Financial Analytics & Machine Learning and Managing Director, Global CIO of Solutions, Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions at BlackRock.
UCL alumni volunteer and pioneering data scientist, Mariem Ayadi (Affiliate Computer Science), will host this exciting event in which Simona will share her leadership journey; from first in her family to go to university to senior investment professional. Mariem is a software developer, entrepreneur and, like Simona, a STEM advocate.
Join us for an engaging and enlightening conversation, inspired by this year’s International Women’s Day theme #choosetochallenge, focussing on celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility.
The UCL Connect event programme is dedicated to bringing professional development expertise directly to students and alumni around the globe. Whether you are established in your career or are unsure what to do post-graduation, our UCL Connect series has something for everyone.
9am – 10 am PDT | 12pm – 1pm EDT | 5pm – 6pm BST
About the Speakers
Simona Paravani-Mellinghoff
Managing Director, Global CIO of Solutions, Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions at BlackRock
Simona Paravani-Mellinghoff is Industrial Professor at the Institute of Finance and Technology at UCL where she teaches Financial Analytics and Machine Learning. Simona earned both a BA and MA in Economics from Cambridge University. Simona is a Managing Director at Blackrock where she currently covers the role of Global Head of Investments for Client Portfolio Solutions. Client Portfolio Solutions is the investment group at the heart of BlackRock’s portfolio construction and asset allocation ecosystem that brings together BlackRock’s research, investment experience and technology to meet clients’ needs for whole-portfolio approaches.
Prior to joining Blackrock in 2015, Ms Paravani-Mellinghoff spent ten years at HSBC where she held a number of senior positions in Hong Kong, London and New York including Global Investment Strategist and CIO in the asset management division. During her tenure at HSBC, Ms Paravani-Mellinghoff was responsible for a range of investment solutions covering both institutional and retail clients including being the lead PM on the World Selection global range.
Prior to HSBC, she was the quantitative strategist at Julius Baer Asset Management in Zurich. She started her career in 1998 as a quantitative analyst at Orbis in London. Ms Paravani-Mellinghoff was named for two consecutive years in 2009 and 2010 as a rising star of finance under 40 by Financial News, a sister company of the Wall Street Journal. She is a published author and conferences speaker.
Chair: Mariem Ayadi
Data Scientist, Asset Management
Mariem Ayadi (UCL Affiliate Computer Science) is a data science and AI specialist. In addition to her day-to-day role in finance, she has a strong interest in tech for social good. Mariem has been an advocate for getting more people into technology: she has previously created and taught machine learning, Python and web programming workshops; she has also been featured in the book, "Her STEM Career: Adventures of 51 Remarkable Women", aimed at introducing girls to various STEM fields and more recently in the documentary “Data Science Pioneers - Conquering the Next Frontier”.