Suzanne Sheppard
In 2010, driven by a desire to "do something entrepreneurial", Gillian Elcock harnessed her passion for research and founded Denny Ellison, a UK-based company that provides analysis on individual firms, sectors, and themes.
In the years since then, the firm has extended beyond research and now provides comprehensive training programmes to junior analysts.
Trinidad-born Elcock, who worked for close to a decade in equity research in the United States and the United Kingdom before launching her own company, said: "It's really about helping people who are early in their careers and offering them a structured programme to get up to speed and accelerate their development."
Her latest success is being named a finalist in the Investment Analyst of the Year category of the Women in Investments Awards 2018 in the United Kingdom.
Commenting on the award, Elcock hopes it serves as an inspiration to others.
"It would be great to see more women and more people of diverse backgrounds entering the industry. It can be a great career for many people," she said.
"It would be good to see more role models of diverse backgrounds, and I think it makes sense to embrace flexible working. At Denny Ellison we've been able to attract some fantastic women who came back to the workforce after having children."
Elcock's own family roots may have influenced her entrepreneurial spirit. She is the daughter of Dr Margaret Elcock, president and founder of the Family Broadcasting Network (FBB and ISAAC 98.1 FM, T&T's first gospel radio station) and Justice Lloyd Elcock, a retired Industrial Court judge.
She is also the granddaughter of the late Russell Toppin, a former deputy transport commissioner who was later seconded to Grenada as Commissioner of Police after the coup that toppled the Maurice Bishop government.
A past student of Bishop Anstey High School, Elcock did her master's degree in computer science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), then realised she was more interested in business than science.
She was led to a career in equity research after having a conversation with a friend in New York who was working in that field. She attended Harvard Business School, then in 2001 began working full-time in investment management as an equity research analyst at Putnam Investment in Boston.
After she relocated to London in 2005, Elcock became a senior equity research analyst at Insight Investment, one of the largest and most prestigious global asset management companies in the world.
Five years later, in the same years that she launched her own firm, Elcock also published her book, How to Get an Equity Analyst Job: A Guide to Starting a Career in Asset Management.
According to Elcock, while in recent years regulation has put pressure on the research business, including pricing pressure, there is still room to grow.
She explained: "Firms will have to focus on what their clients value, and what they are willing to pay for. For us, we do bespoke work so we are well positioned, but we can't become complacent, we have to deliver what our clients need."
In addition to running her company, Elcock has been very involved in volunteer work. Late last year, she joined the board of CFA UK, a professional membership body for investment professionals in the UK, part of the worldwide network of member societies of CFA Institute, the global, not-for-profit association of investment professionals that awards the CFA designation.
Of this new assignment, she said: "I am looking forward to serving on the board of CFA UK and helping to navigate both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead."
Prior to that, she held various positions in the organisation, including co-chair of the research analysts special interest group and a member of the careers committee.
In 2017, Elcock was awarded the CFA Volunteer of the Year Award.