Charlene Lu, CFA

Experience

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  Fidelity Investments

  Jan 1992 - Jan 1993

  Equity Research Associate

  • Actively covered over 50 small, mid, and large companies in wide-ranging industries from biotechnology, health and digital information systems, and medical devices to trucking & machinery • Constantly conducted due diligence on portfolio investments by visiting management, attending medical meetings, and sourcing industry experts. • Ranked in first quartile on stock picking performance and healthcare sector portfolio management.• Quickly developed network of healthcare industry experts to surmise changing market trends & dynamics. Show less

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  Kidder Peabody

  Jan 1993 - Jan 1995

  Senior Medical Technology Equity Research Analyst

  • Pioneer in trend of cultivating alternative industry sources of information including physicians, distribution channels, legal counsel, government officials, FDA officials, and line personnel.• Conducted due diligence by visiting management teams as well as attending medical and regulatory meetings.• Collaborated with investment banking team to identify and perform due diligence on new emerging medical technology companies.• Articulated and marketed technical ideas in understandable, interesting, and concise manner to salespeople, traders, clients, and media in both print and live broadcast (CNN, Wall Street Journal, NY Times, etc). Show less

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  Prudential Securities

  Jan 1995 - Jan 2000

  Managing Director - Medical Technology Analyst & Head of Healthcare Research

  • Managed and led 18-member healthcare research effort with expertise in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare services, biotechnology, and Washington healthcare policy.• Led and coordinated efforts of pharmaceutical, healthcare services, DC regulatory, medical device, and biotech teams to publish novel research regarding impact of changing European reimbursement schemes on each segment of healthcare.• Senior publishing medical technology equity research analyst originating novel research on emerging industry trends and investment theses for small, medium, and large cap medical device companies.• Collaborated with investment banking team to identify and perform due diligence on new ventures and opportunities for commercialization of new technologies. • Consistent top-ten revenue generator each and every year, within department of 65 senior research analysts, resulting from ability to identify new medical trends and investments and exceptional client management. Show less

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  GIC ($160B+ Sovereign wealth fund for country of Singapore)

  Jan 2000 - Jan 2003

  Senior Global Analyst - Medical Device & Communications Equipment

  • Outperformer within 35+ member analyst team based on sector portfolio returns, individual stock picking, and portfolio manager appraisals for private fund in excess of $160B. • Selected to be part of decision making group of 5 to select and review external mutual funds and hedge funds.• One of three analysts selected to be portfolio manager of large diversified North American fund.• Consistent money maker in the medical technology industry with correct early anticipation of technology, and company trends which moved stocks on the upside (e.g.: 21% return on Baxter over 7 months based on early anticipation of Factor VIII market dynamics) and downside (e.g.: moved assets out of heavily owned Guidant after which stock price was cut in half over 12 months).• Initiated coverage of new communications equipment sector with unconventional negative outlook based on early (2/19/01) insight into weakening capital spending – sector down 79% over subsequent 24 months.• Gained understanding of international accounting and business practices with expansion of coverage to include European and Asian equities with time residing in Singapore and London. Show less

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  Balyasny Asset Management

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2005

  Healthcare Investment Analyst

  • Led discussions that drove earnings differential and identified key sources and timing of information catalysts for long and short poistions on med tech names for $2B hedge fund.• Conducted due diligence on emerging new technologies, industry trends, and companies within medical technology.• Cultivated relationships and interviewed physicians, management, and industry experts to generate new investment ideas different from conventional Wall Street wisdom

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  Self-employed

  Jan 2006 - now

  Board Advisor

  • Advised CEO of tech startups regarding strategic growth decisions. • Advised CEO and CFO of publicly traded healthcare company on targeted, impactful messaging strategy to Wall Street, contributing to doubling of stock price over 6 months.• Coached Executive Director of national nonprofit and Fortune 100 Company regarding organizational transformation to enhance efficiency and improve team morale.

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  Comcast

  Apr 2011 - Apr 2013

  Executive Director - Financial Planning & Analysis

  • Created, led, and managed a new and disciplined process to conduct due diligence and business case evaluation for the largest spend technology projects within the $5.4B+ Comcast Cable spend budget.• Developed iterative process for accountability, revision of business model/ assumptions, and portfolio management of new investments.• Hired and trained team of 6 to work with business team leaders to construct and/or evaluate business plans for each of the largest capital investment projects within Comcast Cable’s $500M+ Plan Of Record.• Led team to test underlying assumptions and perform scenario and business case analyses on a wide range of projects, including IMS migration for CDV business, Xfinity Home Security, Xfinity Wi-Fi, and McKinsey P400 sales strategy. • Engaged different stakeholders in complex matrix organization to determine key predictive drivers of video unit and revenue growth. • Collaborated with external vendor to construct a sophisticated neural network model to determine the few most impactful variables that drive video unit and revenue growth. • Developed a process to prospectively test the model and refine iteratively. Show less

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  Ms. Foundation for Women

  Aug 2016 - May 2019

  Member, Investment Committee

  Made key financial decisions impacting $45M endowment in alignment with investment objectives and guidelines of nonprofit to advance equity and justice for all with a focus on investing in, and strengthening, the capacity of women-led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural and economic change in the lives of women.

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  Washington State Investment Board

  Jan 2017 - Dec 2017

  Investment Officer - Public Equities

  • Sourced, conducted due diligence, and made investment recommendations on public equity investments for the Washington State Investment Board (top 10 public pension fund with $117B+ AUM). • Identified and recommended investment portfolio strategies for the public equity investment menu of 17 public pension plans as well as public funds that benefit insurance, university, and disability programs for the State of Washington. • Researched and advised on issues like MiFID II and China A shares in written and verbal presentations to board and public markets committee members.• Collaborated with diverse range of internal and external contacts, including board members, investment managers, consultants, financial advisors, actuaries, operations, and legal counsel to identify and answer key questions. Show less

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  Hagley Museum and Library

  Nov 2019 - now

  Member, Investment Committee

  • Active member of investment committee overseeing key investment decisions for endowment of the Hagley Museum (nonprofit focused on American business, technology, and innovation).• Fiduciary role in evaluating risk adjusted reward for investments across asset classes including global equities, emerging markets, fixed income, venture capital, and private equity relative to current liquidity and operating needs.

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  BetterUp

  Dec 2019 - now

  Leadership & Executive Coach

  • Partner with clients, including C-suite executives, to capitalize on core strengths to maximize effectiveness and improve performance. • Enable leaders to transition to new roles, establish corporate culture, and develop team resilience in diverse industries including cybersecurity, robotics, and healthcare.