Three Finance Leaders Discuss Lockdown Life and 2020’s Legacy

(Bloomberg Markets) -- JOHN STUDZINSKI
Vice chairman of Pacific Investment Management Co.

What was the first thing you did when you came out of lockdown?

I would love to say I will be going to the theater sometime soon, but that’s clearly not in the cards. We need the energy, intensity, and excitement of the performers’ interaction and their chemistry with the audience.

What did you learn about yourself?

The experience has reaffirmed the value of relationships. Thanks to daily prayer and meditation, it’s also given me a greater sense of how my faith anchors me.

Where’s the first place you’ll travel to for fun/with your family?

I will be disappearing off to my bolthole in Extremadura in western Spain, near Trujillo. It’s an 8th century fortress which has a rich and complex history, recalling the times of the conquistadors and the Spanish Civil War.

SHEILA PATEL
Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management

What was the first thing you did when you came out of lockdown?

It was my birthday, so my husband and I went to dinner with another couple in an actual restaurant the first night they reopened.

What did you learn about yourself?

I realized how often I rush, with travel and meetings from one thing to the next. Just being in place for a while gave me time to reconnect with some favorite activities—reading and photography, for example.

Where’s the first place you’ll travel to for fun/with your family?

While on lockdown we have been watching WildEarth’s SafariLive broadcast on YouTube, and it made us yearn for an African safari.

What will 2020 be remembered for?

I hope we remember some of the good—particularly the extra time with family and the extraordinary efforts of health-care professionals and other essential workers. Recent tragic events have also brought equality and social justice to the top of the agenda. I hope that 2020 is remembered as a turning point.

DAMBISA MOYO
Economist and author

What was the first thing you did when you came out of lockdown?

I went for a long outdoor run to give my Peloton treadmill a break.

What did you learn about yourself?

It is possible to be even busier than I was before. Which says a lot.

Where’s the first place you’ll travel to for fun/with your family?

Wherever the next tennis Grand Slam is held with fans.

What will 2020 be remembered for?

The great purge of our beliefs on how and where to best live, work, engage, and assemble.

Lacqua is co-anchor of Bloomberg Surveillance and host of Leaders With Lacqua.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.