Trip Lilly, '96

Frederick “Trip” Lilly, '96, originally enrolled in the Robins School of Business with the intention of majoring in accounting.   After taking a few accounting courses, Trip felt a calling to study finance instead. 

“While I liked breaking down balance sheets and financial statements in my accounting courses,” he said, “I ultimately liked the more market-driven and cyclical nature of the markets themselves on the finance side.”

Trip, a native of McLean, Va., was also a varsity football player while at the University, where he learned to juggle his academic responsibilities with his athletic commitments.  

“Being a part of an athletics team at the University of Richmond is good for the discipline side of the equation,” he recalled.  “Knowing I was going to football practice really forced me to appreciate and maximize the time I had.”

After graduation, the finance alumnus landed a job on Wall Street with the Bank of New York (BNY).  

“I spent 11 years of my career as a trader and portfolio manager  with BNY-Asset Management, which is the institutional asset management division within the broader Bank of New York,” he explained.

While on Wall Street, Trip cultivated a mentorship with a key portfolio management executive on the fixed-income side, who was instrumental in his relatively recent career move to Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC (PIMCO).  PIMCO is a global investment management and solutions firm headquartered in Newport Beach, Ca.

“[My mentor] suggested that I speak to PIMCO directly and had some senior-level management contacts at the firm that she introduced me to,” he said.  “From there, I came in and got a sense of the team and what they were looking for.”

Trip initially interviewed for a sales position with PIMCO and found that his technical background was an asset in the selection process.

“PIMCO hadn’t really hired people with buy-side market experience and were looking more for marketers, so it was kind of an interesting transition for both of us,” Trip said. 

After joining the firm in 2008, Trip has since been promoted to Senior Vice President of Global Wealth Management at PIMCO.  He enjoys the variety of his new role and the ability to interact with PIMCO’s senior-level clients daily.

In terms of a typical workday, Trip said, “I can be speaking about commodities in the morning, then I can be speaking about emerging markets mid-day, and finally I can be speaking about a core bond portfolio in the afternoon.”

As SVP, Trip balances public speaking engagements for PIMCO with client meetings and travels all across the United States.  His work often takes him to Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, and of course, Newport Beach where the firm is headquartered. 

“It’s a lot of marketing and servicing at a high-level for our client-base,” he said.  “It’s ever-changing, but it is a little chaotic at times.” 

So, what advice does this Wall Street veteran give to students interested in pursuing a career in finance?

“The finance industry is a very competitive marketplace, but it also rewards those who apply themselves and have diligent work ethic.” 

Taking advantage of opportunities is key. “Make sure you take the opportunities that present themselves and apply yourself as best as you can, given your interests,” he advised.

Reflecting on his own career, Trip envisions himself continuing in a leadership capacity at PIMCO for the foreseeable future.  His inclination towards leadership is derived from his strong work ethic. 

“I’m a very driven person in general, and I work hard,” he said.  “I want to excel in most things that I apply myself to, and working for PIMCO is no exception to that rule.”

“I truly do respect what PIMCO brings to the marketplace overall, and I hope to continue advancing here and growing our business to unforeseeable size and impact on the market.”