Episode summary
Episode 355: Lin Yue: Building a new "Table" and Finding a Voice in Finance
The Fiftyfaces Podcast
· · 21 min · Hosts: Aoifinn Devitt · Guests: Lin Yue
Summary
Lin Yue argues that the old goal of simply getting “a seat at the table” is too limiting, because the table itself was built around rules and expectations that did not include everyone. Her view is that women in finance should not only push to be included, but also rethink the setting entirely and “build a new table” where they can operate more authentically.
She traces that perspective to a non-linear career that began in China and led to finance in London, including a switch from computer science to experimental psychology. Lin Yue says that experience taught her to focus less on raw data and more on the human behavior behind decisions, which became central to her approach in client relationships and strategic partnerships at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
The conversation also focuses on how institutional clients have changed. Lin Yue says the industry has moved from products to solutions, and clients now want help answering three questions: where growth will come from, how to align with their board, and what competitors are doing. On diversity, she says representation matters, but only if it changes outcomes and ensures she will not be “the last person in that room.”
Key takeaways
- Lin Yue says the most valuable client work is no longer product pitching, but helping investors interpret growth, governance and competitive context.
- She argues that diversity should be judged by performance and outcomes, not just optics or representation.
- Lin Yue says her psychology training helped her understand that markets move through people, not just numbers.
- She believes the right response to exclusion is not only to seek a seat at the table, but to build a better one.
- Lin Yue says setbacks in meetings taught her to recognize invisible rules about whose voices get heard and to lead differently.
Notable quotes
“I guess that has really evolved to not just have a seat at the table, but maybe what we need to do is build a new table, to build a better table”
“being different was not a hurdle. It could actually be an edge and they allowed me to see the contrast and then some of the underlying patterns”
“markets aren't just numbers moving. there are people reacting to numbers and that really led me to switch my major to focus on experimental psychology and behavior finance”
“we don't just speak to the investment teams as what we were before, but very much so that we increasingly engage with the CIOS and often the CEOs of our client organizations”
“representation is not really about being the only one in the room. It's about making sure I won't be the last person in that room”
How the episode opens
This podcast series is kindly sponsored by Evston Capital. For over 20 years, Evston Capital has had a key focus in identifying early stage investment managers it believes are capable of generating long-term value added returns and complex innovative strategy areas. This series is also sponsored by Alvine Capital.
Alvine Capital is a specialist investment manager and placement boutique with a particular focus on alternative assets, a significant presence in London and Stockholm. The advice I was given at the very beginning was we need to have a seat at the table and that's what I believed in. I wanted to have the seat at a table.
But fast forward to where it is now. I had started to see it that very differently. I saw the table you know the rules the expectations that I mentioned earlier that wasn't built with everyone in mind.
There were people who naturally fit and then find their ways to the table easier and there are people who find it very difficult to see all the invisible layers around that table. So I think in a way if we all wait for a seat there then we will ultimately be playing by the rules that were set out a very long time ago with that wasn't with everyone in mind. So I guess that has really evolved to not just have a seat at the table, but maybe what we need to do is build a new table, to build a better table.
I'm Ethan Devit and welcome to the 50 Paces podcast. A podcast committed to revealing the richness and diversity of the world of investment by focusing on its people and their stories. I'm joined today by Lin Yu who until recently is in the strategic trustees business at Goldman's access and management in London where she was responsible for key relationships in the UK institutional market.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- women in finance
- building confidence
- career journey
- taking up space
- authentic leadership
Companies and tickers mentioned
- GS
- BEN
- MSFT
- Goldman Sachs Asset Management
- Yahoo Finance
- Benefit Street Partners
- Franklin Templeton
- PIMCO
Watch the episode
Watch “Episode 355: Lin Yue: Building a new "Table" and Finding a Voice in Finance” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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The Fiftyfaces Podcast, this episode and its artwork belong to Aoifinn Devitt. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
