APAC Summer Series Event Takeaways

This exclusive two-day event convened more than 100 future leaders for conversations around financial education, personal development, and relationship-building with peers, professionals from Goldman Sachs, and innovators in our network. Mainstage sessions covered topics including investing, geopolitics, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence, while breakout sessions provided participants with opportunities to curate their learning experience based on their interests. We’ve distilled key learnings from the event into actionable takeaways for future leaders.

Future Focus

Attendees heard from Jacob Chan of Bastion Capital along with Toby Siu and Tiger Wong from Goldman Sachs Human Capital Management about the importance of crafting a compelling personal story and how to forge your own path.

Takeaways

Take stock of your strengths. When you think about your career, ask yourself, “Can I see myself doing this every day for the next 10, 15, 20 years?” Take your genuine interests, passions, and skills into account as you explore your options.

Be open to adjusting your goals. As you learn new information and grow your network, revisit your goals and adjust them as needed to keep them aligned with your vision for your future.

Communicating clearly is key in any field. No matter what profession you choose, being able to clearly articulate your message to the people who matter will help you from your first interview through the rest of your career. 

Communicating with Impact

In this highly interactive session led by Joshua Davies of Knowmium, participants learned how to frame effective conversations and had opportunities to practice the art and science of communicating with impact.

Takeaways

Build common ground. Finding areas of agreement can help you be more influential and allow for more productive discussions.

Listen to understand. In conversation, listening with the goal of understanding—rather than responding—enables you to demonstrate mutual respect and work toward a collaborative solution.

Seek perspective. Beyond understanding others’ positions in conversation, understanding how someone arrived at their position helps uncover deeper motivations and provides for richer dialogue.

Art as an Investment

The art and collectibles market has slowed, but there are still opportunities in the space. Current collectors are using this time to evaluate their collections and to think about their pieces through the lenses of personal taste and preference, philanthropic opportunity, and legacy. Future collectors are using this time to educate and position themselves to build an enduring collection.

Takeaways

The collectibles market is always changing. While conventional categories—such as art and jewelry—endure, new markets emerge based on evolving interests. NFTs had become popular but have faded in recent years. Current fads in collectibles include NBA trading cards and luxury handbags.

Ask questions and do your research before making a purchase. Authenticity, condition, rarity, provenance, and historical value are critical factors to help determine the value and potential of pieces you may consider acquiring.

Leverage your network to help you build your collection. Collecting is an individual passion, but collectors can build a circle of experts, dealers, senior collectors, and peers with shared interests. This network can be a valuable resource and sounding board.