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.
Jeff Germain is a Director, Investments Group and Team Leader and Senior Analyst on the Basic Materials and Utilities Research Teams. He is a member of the International Large-Cap Investment Committee and a limited partner of the firm’s parent company. Before joining Brandes, Mr. Germain was a Financial Analyst with Harcourt and the chief financial officer of Golf Destinations. He earned his BS in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mr. Germain’s relevant experience began in 2001 when he joined Brandes Investment Partners.
Q: How has mentorship impacted you in your career at Brandes Investment Partners?
A: The mentors I’ve had during my long tenure at Brandes have been the key to my growth as an investor. While I had a solid business background when I first joined Brandes, my investment acumen was still very much developing. Thanks to the mentorship of several analysts and supportive team leaders, I was able to learn how to analyze businesses and become a value investor. So much of this business goes beyond the technical aspects of the finance and accounting that you learn in school. Experience and judgement play key roles, and these are the areas that mentors have been the most influential in my career.
Q: Why did you pursue a career in investment management?
A: I pursued a career in investment management because I’m curious and love to learn. This is the perfect job for people that want to participate in high-level thinking around a wide variety of topics and issues that not only impact the businesses being evaluated, but the world around us. I also enjoy the investigative aspect of investment management as we are always trying to uncover additional information that may have been overlooked to aid our analysis.
Jeff Germain is a Director, Investments Group and Team Leader and Senior Analyst on the Basic Materials and Utilities Research Teams. He is a member of the International Large-Cap Investment Committee and a limited partner of the firm’s parent company. Before joining Brandes, Mr. Germain was a Financial Analyst with Harcourt and the chief financial officer of Golf Destinations. He earned his BS in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mr. Germain’s relevant experience began in 2001 when he joined Brandes Investment Partners.
Q: How has mentorship impacted you in your career at Brandes Investment Partners?
A: The mentors I’ve had during my long tenure at Brandes have been the key to my growth as an investor. While I had a solid business background when I first joined Brandes, my investment acumen was still very much developing. Thanks to the mentorship of several analysts and supportive team leaders, I was able to learn how to analyze businesses and become a value investor. So much of this business goes beyond the technical aspects of the finance and accounting that you learn in school. Experience and judgement play key roles, and these are the areas that mentors have been the most influential in my career.
Q: Why did you pursue a career in investment management?
A: I pursued a career in investment management because I’m curious and love to learn. This is the perfect job for people that want to participate in high-level thinking around a wide variety of topics and issues that not only impact the businesses being evaluated, but the world around us. I also enjoy the investigative aspect of investment management as we are always trying to uncover additional information that may have been overlooked to aid our analysis.