Christine Williamson came to Pensions & Investments in a roundabout way, and lucky for those who work with and are interviewed by her, she never left.
Ms. Williamson originally joined P&I in 1988 as directory coordinator for surveys.
"It never occurred to me that I should be a journalist until I sat down at my desk in P&I's Chicago newsroom," she recalled.
She frequently worked on weekends to log returned surveys by hand into a database.
To avoid coming to the office on Saturdays and Sundays to work on her "gigantic" desktop computer, P&I rented what was called a portable computer, "but it was as large as a big sewing machine and weighed about 15 pounds. Lugging it to and from the office on public transportation was truly a labor of need, but not of love," Ms. Williamson said.
A year or two later, she asked then-editor Michael Clowes if she could work as a reporter.
"He said I could do so ... if I moved to New York, which I couldn't do for family reasons. Michael eventually gave in, let me stay in Chicago, and I was thrilled to cover money managers, asset owners and occasionally, politicians."
After a stint as one of P&I's first defined contribution plan reporters, she was assigned to cover hedge funds and has written about "that fascinating part of the investment industry for many years."
"The best part of my job is interviewing many of the investment industry's most interesting money managers, from CEOs down to division heads as well as CIOs and executive directors of assets owners, both very large and small."
Among her most memorable interviews were with legendary hedge fund managers Ray Dalio and John Paulson, and Minnesota State Board of Investment's now-retired CIO Mansco Perry III.
"I've made connections with a vast number of sources over 35 years, sources who have been generous in helping me cover the world's most interesting industry," she said. "It is such a privilege to have had a job that is so interesting for such a long time and that lets me help bring news to readers across the globe."
