A brief introduction:

Hello Everyone! My name is Yosafat Pangalela.

My journey in the financial industry is special. As a person who always had an interest in numbers and logic, I pursued all my education degree in Mathematics. I studied and researched Algebra and Analysis which have almost no real-world applications. However, at the second year of PhD, I realized that academic life is not for me and decided to have a career in industry, especially in the financial service. This was my first encounter with "quantitative finance".

I started off as a quantitative researcher at a multi-strategy investment management firm and developed factor-investing strategies. I later progressed into tactical asset allocation by developing some quantitative-based models. Currently, I provide quantitative-based analysis and recommendations to both equity and fixed-income teams at AIA.

Why did I take up the FDP challenge?

FDP is one of the most-recognized designations in quantitative finance or related fields. Its curriculum covers the latest technological trends and their applications in the finance industry. It also helps me to communicate efficiently with people from different backgrounds of knowledge.

What is great about FDP:

FDP provides an opportunity to be a part of a global community of financial data professionals. By being a part of a global community, I can stay informed of the latest trends and anticipate them earlier. As we know, Data Science or AI is growing so fast, especially in the finance industry; thus, being agile is one of the keys to staying relevant in the field.

Being able to keep updated on technological trends is one thing, but being able to communicate ideas in simpler terms is also important. Data science is a relatively new field in the financial industry. The need to efficiently communicate breakthroughs provided by Data Science has become more important than ever.

My advice for aspiring industry professionals:

Data Science or AI is a disruptive innovation that we need and take advantage of and anticipate. Taking a quantitative-related designation/certification, such as FDP, will give an edge to stay relevant. I volunteer to review FRM curriculum which helps me to stay up to date with the recent development of risk management knowledge.

About Yosafat Pangalela, PhD, FRM, FDP

Yosafat Pangalela is a Quantitative Strategist at AIA Indonesia. He provides quantitative-based analysis and recommendations to both equity and fixed-income teams; and also provides recommendations for tactical asset allocation. Yosafat holds a PhD in Mathematics and FRM designation.