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Unigestion, the race of my life

R茅gis Martin
Group Deputy CEO, Unigestion, Geneva

 

R茅gis Martin, what was the best decision you have taken in your career?
Never leaving Unigestion! It鈥檚 only now, answering this question, that I realize how true this is. I can鈥檛 remember ever thinking about leaving this company that I鈥檝e now been with for 27 years.

What is it that motivates you?
I like making things happen, playing a part in bringing projects to fruition or solving problems, sometimes complex ones. I like dealing with multiple situations at the same time, switching between different topics while remaining available to everyone who needs me as much as I can. I enjoy listening to people, sharing my views, experience, and ideas 鈥� ideally within a group. That鈥檚 the case, for example, at our regular Alternative Investment Council meetings. There鈥檚 always something new to learn if you鈥檙e trying to achieve a shared goal.

What was the biggest challenge you faced at the start of your career?
It was probably living up to the responsibility I was given as a very young CFO with little experience in the fund business. I didn鈥檛 really know how to delegate at the start because, up to then, I鈥檇 always had a good idea of what needed to be done, so I tended just to do it myself. It seemed easier that way 鈥� at least until the day it dawned on me that I needed to surround myself with people who are even better than me. That would allow me to grow and learn about more areas of asset management.

Who do you think of when you hear the word 鈥渟uccessful鈥�?
Speaking personally, I don鈥檛 believe in individual success in the world of business. Experience, know-how or hard work can make you very successful at performing tasks, but real success comes more often as part of a team or working together with someone you can bounce ideas off to make the most informed decisions possible. I always say that you鈥檙e much better at thinking and making the right decisions with others, especially people you鈥檝e been working with for decades as I have with Bernard Sabrier and Fiona Frick.

Which values underlie your day-to-day actions, decisions, plans?
Hard work, perseverance, trust, and loyalty. I rely heavily on experience and common sense, and I always try to ask myself whether a particular action or decision is good for the company. If I have any doubts, I don鈥檛 hesitate to seek advice.

What drove you to do what you do today?
It鈥檚 all about circumstances. I was lucky enough to join a company that has weathered successive financial crises and upheavals in asset management by evolving and reinventing itself. I very quickly won the founder鈥檚 trust, so I was able to be involved in most of these changes and even led some of them. It鈥檚 always been highly motivating to keep moving. It鈥檚 a bit like running a marathon: it should go well if you鈥檝e trained properly, but there are always unforeseen circumstances you have to deal with.

How do you achieve that crucial work/life balance?
Sports. For a start, I was an avid golfer for over 20 years and got my handicap down to six. Then I got into endurance sports, which I鈥檝e trained for four to five times a week for more than six years now. I鈥檝e run eight marathons so far, and I have been training for triathlon in the past two years. I can tell you that learning to swim at the age of 50 wasn鈥檛 easy!

What can you not do without?
My family. I have a wife and two children, and they motivate me to come home every evening and to switch off at weekends and on vacation. Challenging myself physically through sports is also important to me. People tend to fear this 鈥渓ittle鈥� stress on a race starting line, but it鈥檚 a reminder that nothing comes easily and that you have to keep at it, especially if you鈥檝e been training hard. Getting to the 18th hole with a good score or crossing the finish line with a good time feels very rewarding indeed.

What are you thankful for?
The fact that my loved ones and I are in good health. Aside from a few injuries (sports-related, of course), I鈥檝e kept in pretty decent shape on the whole. I鈥檓 also very lucky to have made lasting friendships at university that are still going strong to this day. We鈥檝e never lost touch, and that closeness is something money can鈥檛 buy.

Which childhood memory has left a lasting impression on you?
When I was 14, my father came home one day with a personal computer. It was a Commodore VIC-20, which had to be hooked up to the TV. I have no idea how many nights I spent coding from that day until I was about 18. It was a great passion of mine, but one that took up vast amounts of time. I almost flunked high school because of it, and my parents were very concerned. After a few years, it stopped of its own accord when I chose to attend the University of Lausanne鈥檚 Faculty of Business and Economics rather than study IT at EPFL. I won鈥檛 tell you why I changed my mind at the last minute, but the reason turned out to be rather inconsequential...

What is your favorite anti-depressant?
Taking in the landscape, especially when it鈥檚 spectacularly beautiful. I love looking out into the distance, and I always try to capture what I see in photos. Unfortunately, I often find the results disappointing because it鈥檚 hard to convey how a beautiful landscape makes you feel. That said, it鈥檚 always a very relaxing process.

What do you do on a short journey?
Once I鈥檝e read my work e-mails and made a few phone calls, I dive into Twitter, Instagram, and Strava J. I mainly follow sportspeople and media covering the sports I practice myself. I don鈥檛 usually spend much time on professional websites when I鈥檓 traveling. I might take a quick look at LinkedIn, but that鈥檚 a lot less interesting.