Here are the mentors that participate in the Brandes RISE Mentorship Program. We’ve provided synopses of their professional background and Q&A to amplify the experience and motivation they will bring to program participants.
Bryan Barrett is a Director, Investments Group and a Senior Analyst on the Industrials and Financial Institutions Research Teams. He covers companies in the global capital goods and commercial services industries, as well as global banks, insurance, holding companies and capital-market firms. Mr. Barrett is a member of the Small-Cap Investment Committee and ESG Oversight Committee. Additionally, he is an Advisory Board Member of The Brandes Center at the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego. He is a limited partner of the firm’s parent company.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Barrett was part of the firm’s Research Associate program. He earned a BA in philosophy (with honors) and a BA in economics from the University of Southern California. His relevant experience began in 2008, when he joined Brandes Investment Partners.
Q: How do you think majoring in philosophy has contributed to your career?
A: Studying philosophy was helpful in learning how to be wrong and change your mind, as well as understanding multiple sides of an argument. Additionally, studying philosophy allows you to become very comfortable with uncertainty. It is very humbling to look at the history of anything and studying philosophy involves the history of thoughts and beliefs.
Q: Why did you pursue a career in investment management?
A: It may sound like a cliché for someone in investment management (or at least at a value investing firm), but a family friend suggested I read Ben Graham's Intelligent Investor, and I loved it because it read like a psychology or philosophy book instead of a financial textbook. I liked the idea of forming a thesis and being able to act on it and then find out if you were right. I don't want to give my younger self too much credit as I didn't really know what I was getting into, but I have stayed in investment management because I am constantly learning, and it is a humbling and fascinating job.
Bryan Barrett is a Director, Investments Group and a Senior Analyst on the Industrials and Financial Institutions Research Teams. He covers companies in the global capital goods and commercial services industries, as well as global banks, insurance, holding companies and capital-market firms. Mr. Barrett is a member of the Small-Cap Investment Committee and ESG Oversight Committee. Additionally, he is an Advisory Board Member of The Brandes Center at the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego. He is a limited partner of the firm’s parent company.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Barrett was part of the firm’s Research Associate program. He earned a BA in philosophy (with honors) and a BA in economics from the University of Southern California. His relevant experience began in 2008, when he joined Brandes Investment Partners.
Q: How do you think majoring in philosophy has contributed to your career?
A: Studying philosophy was helpful in learning how to be wrong and change your mind, as well as understanding multiple sides of an argument. Additionally, studying philosophy allows you to become very comfortable with uncertainty. It is very humbling to look at the history of anything and studying philosophy involves the history of thoughts and beliefs.
Q: Why did you pursue a career in investment management?
A: It may sound like a cliché for someone in investment management (or at least at a value investing firm), but a family friend suggested I read Ben Graham's Intelligent Investor, and I loved it because it read like a psychology or philosophy book instead of a financial textbook. I liked the idea of forming a thesis and being able to act on it and then find out if you were right. I don't want to give my younger self too much credit as I didn't really know what I was getting into, but I have stayed in investment management because I am constantly learning, and it is a humbling and fascinating job.