Finance is often referred to as “a people business.” Closing deals over a round of golf or a long lunch are tropes in almost any finance-centered story for a reason. But those deals have been harder to do recently, and there’s a certain depressive quality to Zoom drinks that would make almost anyone opt to skip out, no matter what deal might get hashed out on a call.

It is especially notable, then, when someone is frequently mentioned as a great connector at a time when everyone seems to feel a little disconnected. Walter Kress, CIO of EY US LLC retirement plans, has become almost a clearinghouse of sorts for sharing expertise and connecting people in the industry.

Kress’ 36 years in finance have helped him become a go-to person when other CIOs are trying to solve a problem or locate an expert.

“I think it’s important to bring people together,” he told CIO. “If I know of someone who has just gone through something like a risk transfer or if there’s someone out there with a specific expertise and I can help connect the dots for people, I will.”

As people figured out how to put together outdoor and socially distanced pandemic gatherings, Kress took the opportunity recently to hold a small event for other CIOs and their spouses. The event gave people an opportunity to see others and build new relationships. Kress also gives presentations to students taking senior-level investment classes at his alma mater, Syracuse University, and has spoken to the investment clubs there and at Tulane University, helping prepare them for finance and investment roles post-graduation. “I want to bring real-world experiences to those clubs so they can see how the theories work in practice,” he said.

Collaboration has also paid off for Kress and his investment team. Over the past two years, he has spoken with money managers, CIOs, and others in the field gleaning information that has helped him innovate. The team recently launched a white label multimanager offering within its 401(k) savings plan and expanded the list of credit strategies in other plans.

Kress also repositioned some long-term fixed-income exposure, moving into equities in a series of timely rebalancing trades in order to participate in the reopening trade that began last year. Those shifts have added to the returns, and assets under management (AUM) have nearly doubled during his five-year tenure at EY.

While no one can tell what the future will look like, Kress credits the fund’s recent performance with having a strong internal team that is flexible and willing to stay curious about finding new opportunities.

“The great thing about being at EY during the pandemic is that we were already set up to work remotely, so there was a comfort level that allowed us to focus on investing,” Kress said. “But several members of my team recently got together in New York and I’m hoping we get to do more of that in the future. There’s an excitement that comes from that and I think it will help the newer and younger members of the team feel more connected. Connection and collaboration are really critical.”

—Bailey McCann