Creating a Culture: The Case of Credit Suisse

Plus: Money Men, Pagaya, Research Budgets

My bridge teacher is called Bridget. Needless to say, she was given her name years before she took up the game of bridge, so her choice of profession is either a strange coincidence or it’s destiny.

Turns out, this is quite a common phenomenon – it’s even got a name: nominative determinism. In 2015, researchers found a disproportionate number of Farmers in farming, Bakers in baking and so on, across a range of different occupations. Another team of researchers analysed the specialisations chosen by medics and found an uncanny overlap there. Around one in sixty specialists in urinary medicine have names like Burns, Cox and Ball. ¹

It happens in finance, too. Barclays’ co-head of investment banking used to be called Rich Ricci until he was given a £44 million payout to leave the bank. The chief risk officer at Hargreaves Lansdown, a UK investment advisor, is called Shawn Gamble. And at Credit Suisse, a new chief risk officer was hired at the beginning of the year: David Wildermuth. Wilder…