A brief introduction: My name is David. Since completing my M.Sc. in Economics at the University of Warwick, I have worked in London, New York, and Paris, running the gauntlet in banking, insurance and asset management for HSBC Asset Management, Euler Hermes, and Standard Chartered Bank. Currently, I am the Chief Investment Officer at Wealthify and is also an adjunct lecturer at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.

I’m a volunteer with the CFA Institute, where I’ve been involved with the UK Social Inclusion Working Group. I’ve also worked to provide mentorship and coaching to several young financial professionals, helping them achieve new roles/further academic qualifications and even moving countries.

Why did I take up the FDP challenge?

I pursued the FDP designation because there is no shortage of programs that cover finance or data science, but the FDP Institute’s curriculum successfully straddles them both!

What is great about FDP:

Just looking at how much the syllabus has improved since the first iteration shows the FDP Institute’s commitment to maintaining the qualification’s cutting edge.

I've been coding in Python for a few years now, but the FDP Institute’s curriculum was particularly useful in unpacking the mechanics behind the techniques applied. The industry literature in the course captured highly relevant applications from some of the latest working papers.

My advice for aspiring industry professionals:

Competition remains stiff, but there are several routes to the top of any mountain. Having a strong motivational reasoning for your career choice, combined with useful technical skills such as coding, while also being personable will make you stand out. Similarly, being able to sell an idea is a key skill for a researcher.

About David Semmens

David Semmens is the Chief Investment Officer at leading UK digital wealth management service,

Wealthify. Since completing an M.Sc. in Economics at the University of Warwick, David has worked in the fields of banking, insurance, and asset management. He has worked for HSBC Asset Management, Euler Hermes, and Standard Chartered Bank. In addition to being an FDP Charterholder, David also holds the CFA designation along with an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge. He is also an adjunct-lecturer delivering a postgraduate finance and investment course at Heriot Watt University.

He is passionate about improving financial literacy and helping people gain the confidence to

become investors. In his spare time, David enjoys playing cards, reading crime novels, and walking his dog.