Every week, interesting personalities from the world of finance and beyond share their personal preferences in our section Backstage.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Always a strong black coffee in bed, and lately – though not always – I've been doing my 15-minute yoga stretch more and more often.

What is the best thing about your job?

I didn't consciously choose the financial industry, it found me at a young age, and I stayed – a fascinating industry.

A moment that changed your life?

There was never «one moment» – my life was always marked by change and new beginnings. To consciously reflect on this journey, I create a personal photo album every year, reviewing the past months, and giving the year a title. 2020 was particularly formative: a time full of upheavals and challenges – Covid, a new job, a new home, my family from Hong Kong and the USA stranded with me in Switzerland, a move, and much more. The title I gave that year: Resilience by Design.

What cars do you drive? Which is your favorite?

A Mini Clubman: racy, lively, agil,e and yet elegant.

What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?

Life is all about re-adjusting!

What are you particularly proud of?

Being the daughter of parents who arrived in Switzerland in 1963 with literally nothing – and still managed to teach my siblings and me how to fight for our place in the world.

What was your biggest defeat?

Without defeat, there's no real successes. I live by a saying – even if it sounds a bit dramatic – «Fall down, get up, straighten your crown and move on.» It's simple, but powerful. And it's exactly how I navigate life.

What is your favorite wine?

I love the «Rosé de Xinomavro from Apostolos Thymiopoulos», the color, the freshness, it tastes like Greece.

What are you working on at the moment?

As is so often the case, I work on different projects at the same time – my head is full of ideas and visions. I am all the more grateful to have an extraordinary colleague at my side in Cristina Paradiso and our Aviva Investors team in London, who are turning these thoughts into reality with a lot of commitment and skill. We are currently planning our annual signature event: «AI meets AI – Artificial Intelligence meets Aviva Investors»

What would be the biggest surprise for someone who had to do your job for a day?

Recognizing that we can bring about real change in our industry, in the middle of the real economy. Instead of seeing capital as an opponent, we should see it as a tool that we can use specifically for the common good and a future worth living. The more people recognize this potential and actively use it, the greater the positive effect for all of us.

What is your personal drive?

Never give up, never surrender, keep fighting for your beliefs!

What are you afraid of?

Not have a solution to an existential problem in my little world.

Your favorite watch brand?

After a burglary, where all my mementos of my grandma and favorite aunt were stolen, I bought a golden Reverso from Jäger LeCoultre with the money from the insurance.

What do your employees value most about you?

My creativity and my open and direct communication.

Your best investment?

I hope that will come 😉

Rula Ipsaryaris has worked in the financial sector for over 30 years. Before joining Aviva Investors, she worked at Vanguard and in senior positions at banks, a US broker, and one of the world’s largest custodians. She holds a CAS in Sales and Distribution Management from the University of Lucerne and a federal certificate as a fiduciary.