Almost two years after the COVID-19 outbreak, much is still unknown. Why are heavily vaccinated countries such as Israel and the United States seeing record cases? Will children drive infections as we open up? And how will the economy stay on course? In this episode, Hugo speaks with William Blair Global Research Analyst Camilla Oxhamre Cruse, Ph.D., and Global Strategist Olga Bitel, about what’s next in the COVID crisis.

Everything is becoming smart these days—buildings, grids, and cities. In the fourth installment of our Convergence series, which examines five growth themes that are shaping the future of investing, Hugo Scott-Gall speaks with Alaina Anderson, CFA, portfolio manager and global research analyst, and Anil Daka, CFA, global research analyst to discuss renewable energy, smart infrastructure, and new business models, as well as how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are accelerating these trends.

In less than a decade we’ve moved from Google smart glasses to Oculus virtual reality headsets; what’s next? In the third installment of our Convergence series, which examines five growth themes that are shaping the future of investing, Hugo Scott-Gall speaks with William Blair Global Research Analysts Bill Benton, CFA, and Drew Buckley, CFA, to discuss a vision of the internet in which the virtual and physical worlds become a seamlessly interconnected realm.

Diversity in the financial services industry is an ongoing challenge, but it’s not due to a lack of talent—it’s due to a lack of exposure, education, and opportunity. But two nonprofits are hoping to change that. Join William Blair’s Hugo Scott-Gall for a conversation with Bevon Joseph, co-founder of the Greenwood Project, and Katherine Jollon Colsher, CEO of Girls Who Invest, which seek to connect women, Black, and Latinx students with careers in financial services.

Green can be a moral color, a political color, or an economic color. Join William Blair’s Hugo Scott-Gall for a conversation with Adam Tooze, history professor at Columbia University and author of Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World, for a multidisciplinary discussion of how the decade is shaping up from an economic historian’s perspective—including climate change, inequality, geopolitics, and fragile financial markets.

The world is not just being recreated click-by-click instead of brick-by-brick; it is being reimagined. In the second installment of our Convergence series, which examines five growth themes that are shaping the future of investing, Hugo speaks with William Blair Global Research Analyst Jay Kannan, CFA, about what we call “connected commerce,” which covers the entire architecture of the digital economy.

Investing in a photograph means investing in its power to affect the viewer. Take a step inside the world of photography with Michael Hoppen, CEO and founder of the Michael Hoppen Gallery, as we review the art form and its ties to society, discuss the impact of technology on photography, and explore parallels to investing.

Harnessing technology to solve known problems in healthcare and food is something we’ve been exploring in depth. In the first installment of our Convergence series, which examines five growth themes that are shaping the future of investing, Hugo speaks with William Blair Global Research Analysts Tommy Sternberg, CFA, and Ben Loss, CFA, to discuss what we call “EditGenetics.”

What do cricket and investing have in common? A lot more than you think. Join Hugo and Simon for a conversation with Tim Harkness, sports psychologist and author of “10 Rules for Talking: An Expert’s Guide to Mastering Difficult Conversations,” and hear how his rules can help improve your personal and professional lives—and your cricket game.

Is success the luck of the draw? Tune in as Hugo speaks with Michael Sandel, a professor of political philosophy at Harvard University. Michael has authored several books, including “What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets,” “Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?,” and most recently, “The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?” Hugo and Michael discuss the impact of meritocracy and credentialism on society, investing, and politics.