OVERVIEW
The Inside ETFs conference in 2018 gave Tim Buckley the opportunity to deliver his first public speech as the new Vanguard President and CEO to an audience of over 2,100 financial advisors and investment professionals. Our goal was to introduce Buckley as the new leader of Vanguard by outlining his vision for the company and his views of the industry, now and in the future. In addition to capturing his “voice,” we had to strike a balance of the continuity of the Vanguard story against the reality of disrupting the industry. From a practical development perspective, we had to recognize the many internal voices from other C-level executives.
I worked with senior leadership at the highest levels as the sole visual strategist and designer responsible for creating a Buckley's keynote speaker presentation deck at the Inside ETFs Conference. This was a high-stakes opportunity, as it was his first public speaking engagement in his new role as President and CEO at the world's largest ETF industry event.
INVOLVEMENT
• Creative strategy
• Creative and art direction
• Graphic and data visualization design
• Project management
• Presentation to C-suite stakeholders
RESULTS
Buckley clearly took this opportunity to put a stake in the ground for his vision. The final Capitalizing on Disruption presentation unequivocally set forth the dramatic shifting of investment assets to less expensive passive ones, the potential impact of technology and automation advances, declining tolerance of advisor fees, and how an advisor can add greater value to their clients. For the latter point, Buckley demonstrated how advisors can combine technology for routine investment tasks such as rebalancing with higher value advice such as behavioral coaching, customized long-term retirement planning, and estate planning. The result: Better returns for advisors and their clients.
The presentation was well received and garnered significant media coverage in the investment industry. Attendees also took to social media and posted images of Buckley on-stage at the event with key slides in the background.
