Philipp Dobbert wears several hats at once: he is Head of Asset Management and Chief Economist alike — at quirion as well as at Quirin Privatbank. Here is a look at the many things he has to take care of over the course of a typical workday.
For Philipp Dobbert, the alarm usually goes off at 6 a.m. Before the office day gets going, there is first a short back workout. Then he prepares breakfast. A little family time before the 46-year-old's workday begins. His eldest child has already moved out, but his two sons (12 and 15) are still in school. A first glance at the news — and if it isn't raining, he then hops on his bike. Otherwise, Dobbert takes the commuter and underground trains for the roughly seven kilometers from his apartment in Berlin's southwest to the office on Kurfürstendamm.
9 a.m.: The workday begins
Sometimes there is a meeting right away. Otherwise, Dobbert takes another closer look at what has been happening in the markets. If something out of the ordinary has occurred, he doesn't just have the portfolios in mind. He also keeps in the back of his head what questions this might trigger among investors. As Chief Economist, he repeatedly has to put the underlying conditions for investing into context. Making his own forecasts — a core task for many other economists — isn't something he needs to worry about. All the more, though, about explaining the advantages of a forecast-free investment strategy.
9:30 a.m.: The team comes together
The focus here is on discussing current tasks and challenges, coordinating within the team, and planning the topics ahead. This time, Dobbert has also brought along a few assignments for his team from conversations with the Management Board. Dobbert's core task is leading asset management for quirion and its parent company, Quirin Privatbank. Together with 11 colleagues, he looks after the investment strategy and its implementation in the portfolios. His team's responsibilities range from analyzing markets to developing strategy and selecting products, all the way to settling securities transactions.
10:30 a.m.: In dialogue with the branch managers
Quirin Privatbank also serves clients in person at its own branches in 15 German cities. Dobbert takes part in a regular session with the branch managers. There he puts extraordinary market developments into context, for example. Such as when U.S. President Trump has once again caused turbulence with his tariff hammer. The advisors then pass his assessments on to clients as needed. Often it is also about further developments in the asset management strategies.
12:30 p.m.: A team colleague has a question
A colleague from his team has just learned that an issuer wants to launch a new variant of an ETF held in the portfolio. Now the question is how to handle it. "It's a myth that the boss can do or knows everything better. What matters to me is always being there as a sparring partner on tricky questions," Dobbert explains. His goal is to contribute as much as possible to organizing the work in such a way that everyone on the team can focus in the best possible way on their particular area of expertise.
1:00 p.m.: Today it's Berlin-style potato soup
There isn't always time for it. But Dobbert likes to use his lunch break to chat with colleagues from the company whom he otherwise doesn't run into that often in his day-to-day work. For that, they head to one of the many eateries near the headquarters.
1:45 p.m.: Preparations for the investment committee
Then it's back into a Teams call to go over the final preparations. Soon it will be time for another "major" investment committee meeting. How are things developing in the markets? How has performance evolved across the various strategies? Are the weightings in the portfolios in line with the target values? Are there new products that make it easier to achieve the goals? Questions like these are discussed in the investment committee. "This is where all investment decisions are made," Dobbert explains.
The committee can be convened at any time in the event of extraordinary developments. For Quirin Privatbank it meets every two weeks for one hour. Every six weeks, they set aside almost the whole day. "The meetings are relevant for quirion's portfolios as well. Because at Quirin Privatbank and at quirion we fundamentally pursue the same investment strategy," Dobbert emphasizes. "On top of that, every eight weeks we dedicate ourselves specifically to quirion's portfolios."
3:15 p.m.: A request here, a meeting there
A colleague from Marketing has sent over the text for new website content. Dobbert is to check whether everything is accurate from a technical standpoint. The Legal department still has questions about the draft of a client letter from Asset Management. A few content details need to be provided for a magazine's robo-advisor comparison. In addition, a newspaper would like a short statement on interest-rate trends. Similar tasks are always pending. Dobbert usually has to somehow squeeze them in over the course of the day. Because his calendar is mostly one meeting after another.
4:00 p.m.: A few calls are waiting
Quickly grabbing another coffee. Time for a call or two. With a colleague from one of the branches, he briefly discusses a planned client event. Dobbert is already looking forward to the personal exchange. "Our work is pretty abstract. It's simply very motivating to talk with the people we do this work for."
5:00 p.m.: quirion LIVE gets underway
quirion LIVE is a live stream that anyone can join free of charge to ask questions about investing. Dobbert is almost always there, just like quirion CEO Martin Daut. Dobbert has a talent for explaining economic connections or the finer points of the investment strategy in a vivid, accessible way. And a certain ambition: "When I answer a question and the person across from me has an 'aha' moment, I see that as a personal success." You can get a taste of his tips for systematic investing in his interview on bild.de.
6:30 p.m.: Back on the bike
Dobbert usually leaves the office between 6 and 7 p.m. "I always try to have dinner together with my family," says Dobbert. "If there is still something to get done for work, I'd rather sit back down to it afterwards." As often as he can, Dobbert goes to a concert or the theater with his wife in the evening. "Berlin's cultural offerings are huge — we love taking in a small slice of them."
More about the next quirion LIVE with Philipp Dobbert can be found here.
