Sriram Kannan, Marathon Man!
By Ed Barr
Do you think you’ve had it bad? If so, try this: try working full time at Goldman Sachs while working on a degree in CMU’s demanding MSCF program and becoming a father for the first time!
This was the life of MSCF alum, Sriram Kannan, in 2008. And, oh by the way, did we mention the Sub Prime Crisis of that year? Right, that crisis!
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep,” Sriram says, tongue in cheek!
A man with a great sense of humor, Sriram says a sense of humor helped him and his wife navigate that difficult year. Apsara, the better half of their marital partnership, says referring to this article, “If they ask you what led to your success, tell them it was me!”
Sriram was born in India. “Sriram”, which comes from two Hindu words, “sri” for respect, and Ram, a powerful Hindu god, took his father’s first name, “Kannan,” as his surname. His sons, Neil, 13, and Guru, 8, likewise, took their dad’s first name as their last, in accord with Indian custom.
Fresh out of the University of Madras (now Chennai), Sriram came to America with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and $40 in his pockets, to enroll at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It was his first time away from his parents.
“I was very protected as a child,” Sriram said of his upbringing in India, “when I began my masters at the University of Illinois. I was completely by myself. It was quite an adjustment.”
Sriram found the educational experience to be quite different in the US. “The focus changed from theory and textbooks to projects and research.”
Adjusting quickly, Sriram succeeded and started a PhD track. Then came a job opportunity at Goldman Sachs with a quant focus. He knew he wanted to be in the trenches, not the ivory tower.
“After a while at Goldman,” he said, “I wanted to continue learning and thought about an MBA. But, a colleague, who had attended the MSCF program, told me about it, and it was just what I was looking for.”
Sriram started the part time MSCF in 2005, and in his third-year things got dicey!
“I have a thing for markets that are crashing,” he joked about the year 2008 and the year 2020. “Actually, three of us on the mortgage desk became fathers in 2008. We still worked a lot. We had a joke about it – ‘Babies are born every day, but the Fed only meets quarterly!’ That sense of humor and our commitment to our customers, our company, and our families kept the three of us going.”
Sriram left Goldman Sachs in 2013 and went to a hedge fund, Blue Mountain Capital, so that he could focus on risk. He thereafter became a Chief Risk Officer at both Winwater Home Mortgage and Premium Point Investments and is now Head of Risk at Silverpoint Capital. Silverpoint was started by two Goldman Sachs partners and, according to Sriram, they created a company that is respectful of its employees and customers. “It has been that way from Day One,” he says.
Sriram joined the MSCF Alumni Board during the pandemic. About MSCF he says, “It has a great curriculum. Its multi-disciplinary approach is outstanding. If I were to improve anything, I would help the students better navigate their careers. So many different areas exist in the finance world and the responsibilities are so great, students need to have a clear understanding of what they’re getting into. I suggest they look at the entire market, the needs are great everywhere, and then, choose carefully.”
When asked what advice he would give to alumni reading this article, Sriram said, “We all get comfortable in our jobs after years away from MSCF. When we were students, we weren’t sure what was out there in the real world. Today’s MSCF students have so many choices. We alumni can show these students the realities of the job market. We need to get out of our shells and interact with the students. Our experiences can teach them a lot.”
When asked for an idea about connecting with students, Sriram suggested a blog. “We can all add one or two lines. It will be easy!”
This accomplished man who has worked at Goldman Sachs as Senior Vice President, GSAM Fixed Income, and at three funds as Chief Risk Officer, knows the importance of a balanced education.
“Communication skills are extremely, extremely important (note the usage of “extremely” twice, he says). I have done mock interviews with the MSCF students, and I advise them to explain things in simple terms to those who are not familiar with technical concepts – and this includes executives! Many people go too deep, they lose executives, and then they’ve lost their audience. I’ve seen this happen too many times.”
During these mock interviews, some fresh graduates have little confidence, he says. “They try to mask this at interviews by attempting to answer questions for which they don’t know the answers. It is so refreshing just to hear a candidate say, ‘I don’t know the answer to that question, but I will learn it.’”
What does the future hold for Sriram? He suggests a book might be in the offing and perhaps some teaching. When asked if he were interested in joining the MSCF Speakers Series, Sriram says, “Absolutely.”
What would Sriram say to alums, especially recent alums, who are reading this article? “The work you will do is a marathon, not a sprint. Look to the long term. Take your time. We all have so much more to learn.” This is great advice from a consummate finance professional who has also won awards for his track and field endeavors in college!
