A Day in the Life of… Elena Constantinou

The Head of Asset Management at UPM on her love of philosophy, sailing and reading, on why she admires – but is confused by – Hillary Clinton, and what she would like to be doing ten years from now.

 “I’m not an early riser or an early morning person and this has been the case ever since I was at primary school! I like to have breakfast while watching Bloomberg to get the first feeling of the day about the markets. I arrive at work around 9am and my top priority is to follow the markets so my routine starts with checking information from a variety of sources in order to form my own view of what I expect to happen during the next 24 or 48 hours. 

I studied Economics & Finance, which I chose in part because there was a lot of mathematical modelling involved and I had always liked maths at school. At 16, my ambition was to become a paediatrician but in biology one day we had to dissect a pig’s heart and I fainted! Although I didn’t want to be a surgeon, I realised that I wouldn’t be able to do the training so I had to think again about a possible career. 

When I came back to Cyprus I worked for the Research Promotion Foundation and then for HSBC, which is where I really started my involvement in finance. It was a great learning opportunity and I’ve never regretted my choice of career. At UPM, every day is different but there can be a great deal of stress, especially during adverse market conditions when I have to think fast. There’s a lot of responsibility when you’re dealing with other people’s money!

I go to the gym at least twice a week and I’ve just finished my second year of philosophy lessons. I try to integrate Socrates’ famous saying, “One thing I know: I know nothing” into my own life. When you adopt this position, you see everything from a fresh perspective and you notice things you may not have seen before. 

At home I’ll have a light meal and relax, maybe with a movie or by listening to music. I like European cinema a lot and I really enjoyed the French comedy Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au bon dieu? (Serial Bad Weddings), which is hilarious. The music I listen to depends on my mood. In Greek, I like Mikis Theodorakis’ classic songs, especially those sung by Maria Farandouri, and I also admire Alkinoos Ioannides, who is an unbelievably innovative and talented singer and musician. I also like classical, chillout and house music! 

My great passion is sailing and recently I spent a week sailing around the Cyclades, seeing some beautiful small islands, such as Sikinos where the beaches and the scenery make you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time to the ‘70s. Welcoming people, lovely food…It was great. When you sail, you not only enjoy the destination but the journey there too.

At weekends, I like relaxing at home and having the chance to read. I enjoy autobiographies and books about international politics, so combining the two I’ve read, for example, Hillary Clinton’s Hard Choices: A Memoir. I admire the way she began in a middle class family and worked her way up to where she is today. I don’t really understand why she wants to become President because she has already achieved so much and she’ll be 69 when the elections are held. I believe she should be looking at life differently at her age. 

I manage to balance my work and personal life quite well these days but it hasn’t always been the case. A few years ago I was working until 9pm or 10pm! I think that, with age, we learn how to work, plan, structure and prioritise so it’s easier to strike a good balance.

I can’t pretend to have a clear picture of what I will be doing 10 years from now but I like to help people so, in that sense, I see myself in more of a consulting role, assisting people with their financial and business decisions. I want to feel that I am offering something to people and society, doing something good that will give me satisfaction too.”