Roger Urwin: From Strategic Asset Allocation to a Total Portfolio Mindset Description

About this episode

Roger Urwin discusses the shift from strategic asset allocation to a total portfolio mindset in investment management.

Roger Urwin, Global Head of Investment Content at Willis Towers Watson, reflects on how leading asset owners are rethinking strategic asset allocation amid faster regime change, rising systemic risk, and growing complexity. In a conversation hosted by Mona Naqvi, Managing Director of Research, Advocacy, and Standards at CFA Institute, he draws on decades of experience advising global funds to explain why a total portfolio mindset is gaining traction—and how it reframes goals, governance, and investment decision-making. The discussion explores what it means to invest through a truly holistic lens, why mindset and organizational design matter as much as models, and how the investment profession may need to evolve for a more uncertain world. Listen to the episode to hear Roger Urwin's perspective on the shift from strategic asset allocation to a total portfolio approach. Chapter Markers 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:12 Roger Irwin's Career and Industry Background 04:02 Why Total Portfolio Approach Matters Now 04:58 Origins of Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) 09:32 Benchmarks, Universality, and Communication Challenges 12:01 How TPA Addresses Complexity 14:47 Accessibility vs…

People in this episode

Host: Mona Naqvi

Guest: Roger Urwin

Topics covered

• strategic asset allocation
• total portfolio mindset
• investment decision-making
• systemic risk
• organizational design

Keywords

• investment
• asset allocation
• portfolio management
• risk
• governance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Willis Towers Watson, CFA Institute

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