Biography
Woody E. Bradford, CFA, is chief executive officer and chair of the board at Conning. Prior to joining Conning in 2010, Bradford was an operating partner with Advent International, a global private equity firm. Previously, he spent 12 years at Putnam Investments where he had multiple roles, including head of corporate development and chief operating officer of global distribution. Bradford is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and of the Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. Bradford oversees and serves on a number of boards as part of his operating responsibilities, including but not limited to Conning Holdings Limited (“CHL”), Octagon Credit Investors, Global Evolution Holding, Cathay Securities Investment Trust Co., Ltd., Cathay Securities Investment Consulting Co., Ltd., and a number of other affiliated and related entities. Bradford currently is a vice chair of the board of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (“WPI”) Board of Trustees. He also participates on The Greater Boston Food Bank Emeriti Board, where he has served as chair of the board. He previously served on the Connecticut Insurance and Financial Services (“CT IFS”) Board as well as on the supervisory board of Quoniam Asset Management GmbH. Bradford has over 27 years of industry experience.
What are US insurers saying and doing around ESG?
The asset management industry is at an inflection point. Learning clients’ goals, considering the whole picture, understanding their risk profiles, and using their unique objectives to create custom benchmarks are far better uses of time than debating the merits of active vs. passive investing, quarterly returns, or any of the other issues that are secondary to helping secure a brighter future for our clients.