PAUL SHUTES JF Asset Management European equity group client portfolio manager
ON BUSINESS TRIPS I carry all the things you would expect to find in a portfolio manager's briefcase - laptop, personal digital assistant and the necessary files and paperwork relating to the fund management industry.
I try to carry all I need as cabin baggage, which makes arriving and leaving airports a lot easier and quicker.
A permanent fixture in my briefcase is a ledger-sized notebook that I use to jot down facts, figures and statistics. A lot of what I do is factual, so I use my notebook as a prompt to jog my memory and to verify those all-important figures I need to quote.
I don't travel around with endless statistics embedded in my brain. When I need to check facts and figures or data from a previous week or month I find flicking through the pages of a notebook is far easier than using a computer.
As a client portfolio manager dealing with European equities, I need to be able to access lots of information quickly. In meetings with clients, financial advisers or media, I often refer to my notes, which is far simpler than calling up information on a computer.