"Her Power" | Guo Feng, General Manager of the Strategic Asset Investment Department at China Merchants Wealth Management: Practicing trust with professionalism, achieving success through collaboration

“Financial markets do not reward or punish based on gender. It’s about true merit—there’s no gender, only professionalism.”

Guo Feng, General Manager of Strategic Asset Investment Department at China Merchants Bank Wealth Management

Guo Feng, with fourteen years of investment management experience, has carved out her own path in a heavily male-dominated asset management industry through her professional investment strategies and team management style, standing out in fierce market competition.

On International Women’s Day, we spoke with Guo Feng to explore what sustains female managers in the high-pressure, uncertain asset management industry. What perspectives and decision-making styles do they bring that inject different colors into teams and investment logic?

A core idea Guo repeatedly emphasizes is: “In investment decisions, there is no gender, only professionalism.” This belief stems from her deep insight into the industry’s essence. Guo defines investment as “a complex discipline blending mathematics, psychology, and game theory.” In this field, diligence, effort, and professional judgment are universal currencies. The market does not give discounts or penalties based on gender.

As a wealth manager, moments of market downturn and significant net value declines are always tough. “Facing daily inquiries from sales and clients is the most direct pressure. At those times, I clearly realized: the essence of asset management is not just numbers, but trust.” Guo recalls, “You can tell yourself with financial logic that ‘volatility is temporary,’ but when net values fluctuate daily before your eyes, no professional finds it easy—because behind every movement is a client’s real money entrusted to you.”

This unwavering professionalism has taught Guo that short-term net value fluctuations and external anxiety are lessons in patience. She believes investment, like life, is a long-distance marathon requiring endurance. The real measure of how far we can go isn’t annual returns but whether we can maintain our rhythm, stay rational, digest volatility over time, and fulfill client trust through professionalism. This principle applies both to establishing a successful asset management career and to life itself.

When discussing the so-called “female traits” in investment, she doesn’t deny that women may share certain tendencies, such as greater risk perception and communication habits—like paying more attention to downside risks and listening to diverse opinions. But she opposes labeling these traits. Guo believes everyone develops their own characteristics over their careers. In team management, she advocates “letting professionals excel,” encouraging each person to become a “specialist” and then combining their strengths into a complete market picture.

Regarding the frequently asked question of “balancing career and family,” Guo admits she doesn’t pursue “balance” because it implies fighting alone on both sides of a scale. She prefers to see it as a “long-distance race requiring collective effort,” supported by family, team, and company. Career and family are not opposing forces but mutually supportive partners.

For young women striving in or entering the investment field, Guo offers three career tips: First, let professionalism be your greatest confidence—forget gender, focus on judgment; Second, learn to collaborate and support—amplify value through integration; Third, stay open-minded—let your cognition be your moat.

“Investment is fundamentally about monetizing your understanding.” Guo believes that how you perceive the world, observe your surroundings, and judge trends will ultimately reflect in asset allocation and returns. She encourages women concerned about family life quality to actively manage family assets because “source expansion is more important than cost-cutting, being proactive is safer than being passive, and cognition lasts longer than luck.”

Selected excerpts from the interview:

On the essence of investment: Using professionalism as a measure to assess long-term value

Q: In the financial industry, especially in investment, men have traditionally been the majority. Looking back at your career, what has supported your choice to enter finance and keep breaking through?

Guo Feng: Investment is a complex discipline blending mathematics, psychology, and game theory, which attracted me to explore. Over time, what kept me going was the sense of value it provides—using professional judgment to identify opportunities and improve accuracy and success rates. Throughout, I’ve never judged myself by gender. Every decision in investment must pass market scrutiny. In that test, all effort, diligence, and professional judgment are equal—no discount or penalty based on gender.

Finance markets do not reward or punish based on gender; they are about real merit—true professional equality.

Q: Which market fluctuation or investment decision has left the deepest impression on you or strengthened your investment style? Could you share that experience?

Guo Feng: Every investor has experienced market blows and sleepless nights. In asset management, such struggles often stem not from personal gains or losses but from the heavy responsibility of entrusted trust.

The most vivid memory is during a prolonged market downturn with significant net value declines. Facing daily inquiries from sales and clients was the most immediate pressure. I realized then: the core of asset management isn’t just numbers but trust. You can rationalize market fluctuations as temporary, but when net values jump daily before your eyes, no one finds it easy—because behind every move is a client’s real money.

That period taught me a fundamental truth: investment, education, life—none are short sprints but long-distance marathons requiring endurance. Short-term fluctuations and external anxiety are inevitable in long cycles. The key is whether you can maintain your rhythm, stay rational, and use professionalism to earn and sustain trust over time. This applies both to building a career in asset management and to life.

On management decisions: Respect differences, encourage everyone to become “specialists”

Q: How do you view the role of gender traits in investment decisions? Do you think being female has left any marks on your investment or management style?

Guo Feng: Regarding gender traits and investment decisions, I see it this way: markets do not reward or punish based on who is more sensitive or meticulous. Ultimately, every decision boils down to information judgment, risk pricing, and discipline execution. From this perspective, in front of investment decisions, there is no gender—only professionalism.

For example, risk perception. I’ve seen many excellent female investors, whose first reaction to opportunities is often not “How much can I earn if it succeeds?” but “What’s the worst-case scenario if it fails, and can we bear it?” This sensitivity to downside risk isn’t about being timid but about prioritizing safety margins. In asset management, this respect for entrusted responsibility aligns with the essence of “building trust.”

Similarly, communication and decision-making habits. Women tend to listen more to different voices and prefer thorough discussion before deciding. This “consultative” style can sometimes be seen as indecisive in decision-focused fields. But over time, I’ve found many major risks are uncovered precisely through diverse opinions, and good decisions often emerge from thorough discussion.

However, these traits are not exclusive to women, nor do all women possess them. I’ve seen highly perceptive male colleagues and more delicate male counterparts. Everyone develops their own style through experience, which may relate to gender but more often to background, personality, and education.

Q: How would you describe your management style? What kind of team culture do you promote when leading and nurturing young investment managers?

Guo Feng: My management style centers on a core goal: let professionals work together to achieve better results than working alone.

I emphasize respecting differences and encouraging each person to become a “specialist.” A good investment team shouldn’t be a uniform “investment manager template,” but a combination of strengths. I encourage colleagues to hone their unique skills into sharp tools, focusing on their areas of expertise.

In today’s market environment, single assets or strategies are hard to sustain. Multi-asset, multi-strategy frameworks require team synergy. This means each person’s strengths shouldn’t be isolated. I want the team to develop a state where everyone’s depth and perspective complement each other, forming a complete market picture. When you have a long enough “long board” and are willing to collaborate at critical moments, you become indispensable. This sense of indispensability comes from both deep expertise and trust built through collaboration.

On “her power”: Long-distance race of mutual support in career and family

Q: The outside world often discusses how women balance career and family. What’s your view?

Guo Feng: I see “balancing” as a bit of a misnomer. It implies a scale where career and family are two ends, and I have to fight alone to keep it level. But real life isn’t like that. Work and family aren’t acrobatic acts by an individual—they’re collective efforts.

Behind high-intensity work, no one can do it alone. Success—whether in career or family—is supported by many people, teams, and companies. Without family understanding and support, team cooperation, and company platform, no one can shoulder everything alone.

So instead of “balance,” I prefer to see it as a “long-distance race” requiring collective effort. Our work is supported by family at home; our family life is sustained by external support. Family and colleagues are mutually supportive partners.

Q: If you had to define “her power” in one sentence, what would it be?

Guo Feng: “Her power” is a kind of融合与包容—an ability to integrate diverse expertise, perspectives, and people’s strengths into a collective force; to maintain one’s rhythm over the long haul while accommodating others’ steps; to use professionalism to safeguard trust, and to uplift and enable everyone to shine on their own path.

Q: For young women currently working or aspiring to enter investment, what are your top three career tips?

Guo Feng: First, let professionalism be your greatest confidence—forget gender, focus on judgment. In the workplace, especially in investment, the market recognizes only correctness, not gender. Don’t waste energy worrying about being underestimated or how others see you. Instead, improve your judgment. When your understanding of markets, risk assessment, and logical reasoning reach a high level, gender becomes irrelevant; professionalism is what truly matters.

Second, learn to collaborate and support—amplify value through teamwork. No one is an island. Behind every success is collective effort. Trust colleagues, rely on your team, and help others when needed. Bring your strengths into collaboration, and be open to others’ differences.

Third, stay open-minded—let your cognition be your moat. Investment is about understanding the world. Many top practitioners share a common trait: insatiable curiosity and a willingness to embrace change. This curiosity drives continuous learning, which keeps your cognition evolving. Treat learning as a daily routine—like eating and drinking.

Final words: Proactivity is safer than passivity; cognition lasts longer than luck

Q: Women often play key roles in family wealth management. Any advice for them?

Guo Feng: My advice is to shift from “passive frugality” to “active management,” becoming proactive stewards of family assets. Investment is fundamentally about monetizing your understanding. Your perception of the world, observations, and trend judgments will ultimately reflect in asset allocation and returns.

So I suggest women not see investment as distant or only for finance professionals. Anyone concerned with family quality of life should care about asset growth. Continuous learning, understanding, and participation allow you to manage family wealth with your cognition, providing a sense of security that surpasses mere saving or budgeting. Source expansion is more important than cost-cutting; being proactive is safer than being passive; cognition is more enduring than luck.

Q: Finally, what would you say to product holders managing assets?

Guo Feng: The core of asset management is trust. Markets fluctuate, net values will vary—that’s normal. But behind every decision, managers should ask themselves: if this were my parents’ money, or my own, would I be willing to invest this way? This simple standard is the most honest bottom line. Investment is a marathon, not a sprint. Short-term market noise and temporary declines are just parts of the journey. The team at China Merchants Bank Wealth Management uses professionalism and discipline to navigate volatility, honoring the trust of clients.

Text by: Qian Xiaorui

Edited by: Wang Xinyu, Xu Nan