Gianluca Zappa, from Etica Sgr is our Sales Manager of the Month

When and how did you start your career in the financial industry? Did you have any other vocation?

My passion for Finance and the Fund industry started during University, while I was studying Economics at the Università Cattolica of Milan and decided to focus my education on the Financial Markets and on CSR topics in business management. After an experience in BNP Paribas Securities Services as an Account Manager and in ING Bank as a Senior Financial Advisor, I found in Etica Funds, a company which is a true pioneer and leader in ESG and ethical investments in Europe, the perfect match between my two fields of interest. Here I joined the Institutional and International Business Development team as a Relationship Manager.

How does a normal day as a Sales Manager looks like?

It’s difficult to describe a “normal day” when you work directly with clients. You always have to be ready to re-organise your agenda and respond to new questions, needs or requirements. The moment I try never to skip is a daily market update in the morning but, after that, the activities are really different and varied: the key is to work as a team with your colleagues to optimise the organisation of everyone in the most effective and efficient way.

What is the most interesting part of your role? What do you enjoy the most?

Definitely the fact that my job allows me to meet various people with different backgrounds, experiences and knowledge. I do enjoy  to learn something from everyone. It happens to be involved in meetings or events where I can speak with an ESG analyst about renewable energies or social aspects, with a Portfolio Manager about finance and markets and with other professionals with more than 30 years of experience in just one day: working in this setting it’s really challenging and exciting.

What are your clients more interested in at the moment?

In a year where the markets are full of question marks on issues such as inflation, volatility, energy, and more, all the clients are basically looking for three things: consistency, stability and diversification. Our clients are obviously very sensitive on ESG topics, and they are aware that companies and portfolios with a good ESG profile, bought at the right prices, can guarantee better performances. Especially during a possible market downturn. Also, in the last years we have seen a growing interest on social issues on both the equity and bond fronts.

In your opinion, what are the key drivers for successful fund distribution?

I think this is a rule that can be applied to every business: be consistent and have a strong identity. An asset manager that wants to have success in 2022 must be transparent with its clients about what his vision and principles are, and it has to look for investors which share the same values.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to pursue a career in the asset management industry?

The greatest advise I can give to anyone is to continue to be curious and hungry to learn new things. When I speak about investments with professionals which do not work in this sector, it’s very common to find people which still believe our work is only about maths and graphs. The Asset Management sector is becoming more diverse every day, and it involves always new topics, so everyone has to feed its passions and influence this world with them.