The investment management industry has a wide door to open to the recent technological trends have impacted the whose-who of business operations globally. It is a welcoming sign to observe that the trends are transforming as if they were required for long. The major transformation I observe is that of the mobile, where in currently employees at various levels worldwide can have access to information. Considering the manual labor for frequent data loading, sales in any company moved at a crawling pace. Recommending the necessary equipments to run, or to verify and process the necessary reports or items for shipment, the job of a distribution associate was at tedious flow. The fact that for any company to have a strategic outlook for their development, an investment associate would have to evaluate and apply the financial acumen and propose optimal asset selection alternatives to the management. Now, with the advent of mobiles and other devices and importantly access to them, it is a facile advantage everywhere. Enterprises nowadays have spread wings to outsource more, be it operations or technology, we need to observe that need for data in-house, is increasing as a result. I see a pivotal role of the social media too; to keep enterprises engaged to follow the trends.

A Universal System to Answer
The evolution of novel technologies in the investment management industry has unburdened the drive to manage various operations. The intent to receive positive returns involving low-risk through bonds or to leverage more with higher degree of risk in mutual funds, stocks and many more have all played a part as investment vehicles. And the setting up of complex securities and several other bolt-on solutions have all been in catch-up role in the industry nowadays. We all see the functionalities now, the stand alone systems through multiple connections have aligned to support various in-house operations. But the time is far gone to loop or monitor these systems. I see the need for a Universal system which could in any way reduce human intervention. As an investment professional, I foresee that international trading now needs agility. For instance, use of multi-currency systems which could enable easy trading (buying and selling) internationally would be the way to look forward to.

Adding Value Strategically
To leverage technology in the optimal manner is an open game challenge for enterprises. Most industrial professionals brush aside the cognition of technology restricting its use to only fulfill their apparent business needs. I think there is a greater scope to add value to technology. Here it is viewed only as a cost-center or as an investment to provide the required service. It is high time one percepts it as the means to drive business forward. Its part as a strategic analyzer and enabler has more to offer when I see myself in the role as a CFO.

The Challenge of Uncertainties
I presume this as an era of uncertainties. To take critical and methodical decisions in this fluctuating environment is a huge task. So are the changes that impact us, as we see leadership changes at the Federal Reserve System there is bound to induce variations in decisions and policies. It is a long anxious wait for the business leaders to track down and understand the changes. The recent economic shut downs in the U.S has made business leaders more apprehensive for another one in the next year. These all have operative impacts on any enterprise as the technologists continually review whether the current technology serves their need to transcend further in the industry. The cosmopolitan mix is indeed an advantage in the U.S as it brings in distinctive and widespread thoughts and ideas favoring various culture and economic backgrounds. The need to encourage global talent is more of a want now, as being mindful of all the necessary compliances like immigration, or adapting to changing regulations and of course the legislative consents that implicate in a country have all to be looked upon.

Building Stalwarts
Carrying behind these violent drifts, the need to detoxify is always recognizable. Innovations have a major role to play here. At Calamos, the leadership team encourages employees to think creatively about distinctive pain points of the business operations to help build and organize a dependable group. A strong foundation is laid in building an efficient organizational structure by incorporating a sharp focus on the ongoing process and persona thereby capacitating exchange of ideas and innovations. The fact that we resource a versatile corporate brain, we always encourage cross-departmental discussions and collaborations. These integrations allows any enterprise to have its expertise leveraged across various platforms and enhances the growth potential overall. I would also go forward in saying that, adaptation to innovation is one of those fundamental aspects that a corporate culture should inhibit. At Calamos, this has been a feature as innovations have continually magnetized our clients and stakeholders for a long haul.