Global financial guru back in Burnie where it all began

Burnie is a world away from the bustling boardrooms of Sydney, Hong Kong and London, where Dr Isaac Poole (BeC Hons 2004) spent two decades working for global financial giants.

And that’s just the way he likes it.

While he’s no longer steering sovereign wealth funds worth hundreds of billions of dollars as Global Chief Investment Officer at Oreana, he’s found new meaning by helping everyday investors retire with dignity.

That doesn’t mean he’s not still on journalists’ speed dial for economic commentary for the BBC, Bloomberg and CNBC.

Isaac’s remarkable career includes leadership roles in the United Kingdom at Lloyds Bank and Halifax Bank of Scotland, as well as Willis Towers Watson in Hong Kong.

All this from the boy from Burnie, who ‘almost’ didn’t go to university.

For Isaac, a tertiary education was never a given; finances and no family tradition made it anything but certain.

Thanks to the support of several scholarships, Isaac enrolled in economics at the University of Tasmania.

After graduation, he and several of his honours peers moved to Sydney for roles at the Reserve Bank.

He furthered his studies at the University of Sydney and Oxford University.

“When I turned up at these large global universities, I was well prepared; my undergraduate education was second to none,” Isaac said.

The biggest driver in his career? Exceptional mentors.

“I wouldn’t have achieved half of what I have without my mentors.” Dr Isaac Poole

“Part of the reason is that you want to repay the trust your mentor has put in you, but a great mentor allows you to ride their coattails to greatness.”

It’s part of what inspires him to give back through his ongoing connections to his alma mater and sponsoring the Tia and Isaac Poole Scholarship at Jane Franklin Hall, where he and his wife stayed during their studies in Hobart.

Now based back in Burnie with his young family, he hopes to be a positive agent for change so more young people from the North-West Coast can reach their full potential.