Brandon Sedloff and John Bowman explore the future of private markets through the lens of CAIA Association's recent research report, "The World Rewired." Bowman, CEO of CAIA Association, shares insights from eight global roundtables with over 120 C-suite executives across major financial centers. The conversation examines how geopolitical shifts, evolving product structures, and talent needs are reshaping portfolio construction and investment strategy. Bowman argues that the post-World War II regime of low rates, stable globalization, and minimal inflation has ended—requiring allocators to fundamentally rethink how they build portfolios.
They discuss:
- Why geopolitics may replace asset allocation as the primary framework for portfolio construction
- How tokenization could solve liquidity challenges better than traditional gate structures
- The shift from hiring job-ready specialists to recruiting systems thinkers with interdisciplinary judgment
- Why the Gulf region has become a serious contender as the capital of private capital
This episode offers a strategic roadmap for institutional investors, asset managers, and private markets professionals navigating a regime change in global markets.
Topics:
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:28) - Introducing John Bowman and CAIA
(00:02:59) - Early career and path to finance
(00:07:58) - Transition from asset management to CFA Institute
(00:11:49) - Journey through CFA Institute
(00:17:00) - Leading CAIA and building community
(00:29:11) - The World Rewired research report
(00:34:25) - Product innovation and the retail push
(00:44:06) - Geopolitics as portfolio framework
(00:49:01) - Middle East sovereign wealth dynamics
(00:52:19) - Talent and systems thinking
(00:56:47) - Where to learn more
Speaker Profiles:
Brandon Sedloff
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/
Website — https://brandonsedloff.substack.com/
John Bowman
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlbowmancfa/
Organizations:
CAIA Association — https://caia.org/
Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/
