Effective Asset Management

Accelerate your career in the investment management industry with this highly interactive course.

Investment management plays an important role in the economy – facilitating effective saving for individuals and institutions, making financial markets more efficient, and allocating capital to firms and entrepreneurs. London is now the world’s second largest asset management centre after the US, and the success of this industry is crucial for the growth and prosperity of the UK.

Here, at the world-renowned London School of Economics, the head of the Department of Finance leads a cutting-edge course designed to develop a deep understanding of best practices in investment management for those entering or progressing their careers within the field.

This executive course is designed for rising and senior professionals in the Financial Services industry who currently work in asset management or are interested in entering the field.

Programme structure

In order for an asset management firm to be successful, three things are required. First, the company must have an effective investment strategy. Second, the investment strategy must be implemented efficiently. Third, the company must successfully handle the non-investment elements of the business, such as marketing and compliance. This course covers all of these elements, exploring the perspectives of both investment managers and those individuals and institutions that provide capital to them.

This executive course is led by Professor Christopher Polk, head of LSE's finance department and former director of the LSE Financial Markets Group, a widely-published researcher, and a highly-rated educator. The course covers, among other topics, Modern Portfolio Theory, Behavioural Finance, Quantitative Investing, Liquid Investment Alternatives, Illiquid Investment Alternatives, Performance Measurement, and Investment Synthesis.

Professor Polk couples dynamic lectures teaching fundamental asset management concepts with case studies that build on these key ideas while also illustrating recent developments in global investing. Group work and spirited class discussion are a key component of this highly-interactive course.

Course outcomes

• Highlight best practices in investment management
• Identify the important objectives of effective investment policies and their efficient implementation
• Understand, critique, and refine the advanced trading strategies used by hedge funds
• Recognize and assess key strategies in private equity and venture capital
• Integrate these specific asset management skills within a broader business plan
• Interact with a leading academics and other practitioners in the field of investment management through carefully-selected case studies of industry-leading firms
• Discuss and debate the future of the asset management industry, identifying likely opportunities and key risks.