We interviewed our partners
Genevieve Signoret
(Hay una versión traducida al español aquí.)
To relaunch Timón Económico, we asked our partners, Pierre Guillaume and John Greenman [1], the same four questions that, in La Carpeta Negra, Genevieve posed to herself:
- What surprised you the most in 2020?
- What surprised you the least (confirmed a view you held previously)?
- What are the best three books you read in 2020?
- ¿Qué quisieras entender mejor en 2021?
Pierre and John emailed their responses to us.
Pierre responds
Most surprising world event of 2020
Without a doubt, the speed at which financial markets recovered after the March meltdown and the extent of the recovery.
Least surprising world event of 2020
The outcome of the US election. (Was I truly unsurprised or had my mind refused even to consider the possibility of a different outcome?)
Best three books I read (or re-read) in 2020
- Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros. Although I live across multiple cultures, Mexico and the United States especially, I was particularly taken by this Mexican-American view of Mexico, notably her descriptions of the culture shock she experienced as a child each time she would cross the border to visit her abuela. “Cada año que cruzo la frontera, es lo mismo: mi mente olvida. Pero mi cuerpo siempre recuerda.”[2]
- La Peste, by Albert Camus. What better book to reread in the year of the pandemic? “Tout le monde était d’accord pour penser que les commodités de la vie passée ne se retrouveraient pas d’un coup et qu’il était plus facile de détruire que de reconstruire.”[3] Good food for thought.
- The Leader’s Dilemma, by Jeremy Hope, Peter Bunce, and Franz Röösli. A powerful critique of the traditional command-and-control management model and a systematic approach to the changes required to “build an empowered and adaptive organization without losing control” (the book’s subtitle). Again, in this year of a pandemic, where the best laid plans and budgets didn’t survive the first quarter of the year, this gives us something to think about.
What I aspire to understand better in 2021
Two things: First, will we find a way to get past the populism wave that has taken over so many countries in the west?
Second, can we engage China in such a way as to prevent her from falling into a nationalist trap?
John responds
Most surprising world event of 2020
The extent to which stock market valuations seemingly separated from any underlying economic reality, and the further dominance of oligopolistic Big Tech.
Least surprising world event of 2020
The fact that, despite prior widespread predictions of an anti-Trump landslide, Biden’s victory turned out to be so narrow.
Also, how quickly the desire for cultural/economic “sovereignty” can slip into casual acceptance of autocracy.
Best three books I read (or re-read) in 2020
The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro (a recommendation from Genevieve!). An exquisitely told tale of emotion, self-deception, and the need to never let important things be left unsaid.
Out of Egypt, by André Aciman. A beautiful memoir of a Jewish family in Alexandria, Egypt in a more cosmopolitan era, now long past, that illustrates the transitoriness of life as well as its everyday beauty.
Dark Towers, by David Enrich. The story of the rise and fall of Deutsche Bank amid massive greed and corruption, which will confirm your worst fears about Wall Street investment banks. A central character in the cast is a former colleague of mine from my early banking days, who committed suicide as the bank unraveled.
What I aspire to understand better in 2021
The policy options in both the developed and developing worlds to address growing economic inequality to head off even greater social fragmentation and political conflict, lest this decade too closely resemble the 1930’s.
How about your response?
We’d love to hear your responses to these same four questions in the comment section (or by email)!
[1] Pierre is our co-founder and CFO at Tealta Growth, our fund of international venture capital funds, and Tealta Income, our fund of U.S. commercial real estate funds. John is our international real estate partner. He advises us on fund selection for Tealta Income and helps our clients acquire U.S. commercial real estate directly.
[2] “Every year, when I cross the border, it’s the same: my mind forgets. But my body always remembers.” (Our translation.)
[3] “Everyone was agreed that the comforts of our past life would not be recovered all at once, and that it was easier to tear down than to rebuild”. (Our translation.)