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Sky’s the limit with right focus After a globe-trotting career Fisher Funds’ Nilesh Mistry has returned to NZ to ‘give back’.
W
hen not working, Nilesh Mistry, chief operating officer of Fisher Funds can be found tweaking his hi-fi sound system. Running wires from his speakers, changing the angle for a better sound boost, switching the needles on his vinyl record player to improve the audio quality. He is forever chasing that impossible goal of the ultimate sound reproduction. When asked if he is getting close to perfection Mistry replies, “you can never get close, but I think I’m in a pretty good spot”. The use of technology to strive for 022 | ASSET OCTOBER 2020
BY DANIEL SMITH
perfection is a character trait that has coloured Mistry’s journey throughout his career. Mistry joined Fisher Funds in May of this year. The global situation during his first five months in the role has been tumultuous to say the least. But Mistry knows about working through times of crisis. He was deeply involved in the US banking sector during both the 9/11 attacks and multiple global financial crises. The issues thrown up by a global pandemic have been handled by Mistry’s singular focus: “First and foremost, focus on the wellbeing of [y]our staff. That's
the most important thing. Get that right and then the rest of the business will follow.” After finishing a degree in electrical engineering at Wellington’s Victoria University, Mistry moved to Sydney to work for Channel Seven – rolling out an emerging technology platform. In the early 90s Mistry joined NatWest Markets in a role providing technology services on the market trading floor. Mistry says that: “During that time, I was blown away by the use of technology. The NatWest global platforms really helped me develop a deep interest in
