Invest Your Time Instead of Spending It — Dinner with Damien Mooney, Head of Aladdin Wealth Tech for Asia Pacific at BlackRock
Sometimes the most meaningful and inspiring conversations happen over casual meals. The Time Auction Blog is a snippet of our meetings with people who have found passion in their lives and career.
In the wealth management and distribution business, the process that firms compete for and retain assets is increasingly being recognized as a critical component to firm success. In the role of leading the distribution businesses and firm’s marketing strategy, Damien Mooney shared with us his experience in digital wealth strategy and interesting stories over the dinner.
Meet Damien Mooney!
Damien Mooney, Managing Director, is Head of Aladdin Wealth Tech for Asia Pacific within BlackRock Solutions. They are focused on helping retail & wealth distribution partners transform their business through technology.
In 2003, Damien joined Fidelity and held senior regional European marketing positions. Prior to Fidelity, he held senior product management, business development and international marketing positions in London with Egg Invest (the UK’s first direct to consumer fund supermarket), Zurich International (offshore funds distribution) and Prudential Assurance UK.
In 2011, Damien joined BlackRock as Chief Marketing Officer and led the Retail & Wealth Business for Asia Pacific. Now, he leads the business development efforts for their wealth technology capabilities with retail distribution partners and is the senior relationship manager for enterprise clients across the Asia Pacific.
His Life Philosophy
“Respect, curiosity and positivity.”
These three qualities have become the fundamentals of Damien’s life philosophy. Over the years, Damien’s parents have taught him to be respectful to himself and the others. Secondly, he emphasized curiosity since it allows us to open the door to possibilities. In the meantime, positivity is paramount in the face of tough situations. Sometimes, things may not go well. Yet, instead of being discouraged, we should be optimistic and look at things from a positive perspective.
When asked about whether these three qualities had become the criteria to hire employees, Damien declined. To him, embracing the diversity of thinking is crucial. Different personalities should be blended in a dynamic workplace.
Explore the beauty of Nature
When it comes to reading, Damien shared with us that National Geographic has influenced him the most. He described himself as “close to nature” and enjoyed the natural environment. Over 30 years, Damien has been continuously reading National Geographic, and it has given him a chance to learn more about the world.
“It gives a good perspective on the world.”
Besides, National Geographic successfully removes his day-to-day hassles. Every day, Damien reads much about finance and technology. Therefore, reading National Geographic is rewarding with the beautifully presented package of curated content and amazing photography.
The Best and Worthwhile Investment
When asked about the best investment, time must be invested to develop strengths. Back in the school days, Damien built up his confidence through debating.
“As a life skill, public speaking emphasizes communication, so I’ll encourage people to try and put themselves there.”
Another interest that Damien enjoyed is dancing: Learn to dance properly with a partner. Although it may seem a bit old fashioned, he suggested that dancing properly is an ability to be learned. It does not have to be brilliant, but knowing a couple of moves is great enough!
One action to takeaway
Damien stressed the significance of raising questions. Once we dare to ask questions, we will get the answer. With this in mind, he encouraged us to ask questions frequently.
“How you get there is with the help of a ton of people.”
Success does not come easily without the help of others. Consequently, Damien reminded us to stay humble. We should not forget the people who helped us along the way. In the same way, we could always lend a helping hand to other people!
Thank you, Damien, for raising 152 volunteer hours and all the volunteers who dedicated their hours for charities such as Heart to Heart, Voltra and more! We would also like to thank photographer Steve from KaChick!
To see our upcoming experiences, head over to the Time Auction website!
