Alum Forges a New Future for Trinidad and Tobago Through Finance

As Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Brian Manning ’98, MS in Finance ’17, is investing in the future of his country. And to do that, he’s leveraging his experiences from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Manning, appointed to his position in 2020, is helping to diversify Trinidad and Tobago’s economy from one focused on its competitive advantage in energy-intensive industries to other industries, including the technology sector.

Following in the footsteps of his father, former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, he says it is a privilege to be in a position to positively influence the future, and this transition period represents a landmark moment in the history of the country’s economy.

“I always wanted to be more involved in how we craft the future economy of Trinidad and Tobago,” says Manning. “I think the timing is right for me to get involved by participating in the further development of my country and making improvements in the lives of our citizens.”

Integral to the country’s economic transformation is Manning’s management of several of the largest funds within the Caribbean region, including the Heritage and Stabilization Fund—an approximately $6 billion long-term fund accumulating from the proceeds of oil and natural gas exports. By investing internationally in public markets, Manning says it gives the country the means to generate revenue outside its domestic industries.

To Manning, serving in that capacity falls right into his comfort zone, given his experience as an equity analyst for the Smith School’s Global Equity Fund—a limited-enrollment fund established in 2009 and managed by 20 students in the school’s Flex MBA, Master of Finance and Master of Quantitative Finance programs. The fund's goal is to outperform the MSCI All Country ex-US Index.

The opportunity to research companies and manage and invest money from the school’s endowment fund was a “fantastic and relevant experience,” Manning says. It provided the ideal environment to understand portfolio managers' and investment bankers' daily work. Most importantly, it teaches students how to value companies, he says.

“It gave me the insights and intimate knowledge of how different companies are organized, how they operate and how to use that information to your advantage in valuing those companies in different settings,” says Manning.

Manning had always envisioned a career centered around the intersection of business and leadership. During his upbringing, he recalls frequently watching business news and being fascinated with companies and their varying financial situations.

His passion for finance and desire to attend a top 25 business school to learn under world-class faculty members led him to the Smith School. He says that interacting with thought leaders and Nobel Prize-nominated professors profoundly impacted his understanding of the business world.

As an undergraduate student, he also took advantage of the opportunity to stoke his passion for basketball and gain leadership insights directly from hall-of-fame coaches Gary Williams ’68 and Chris Weller through his role as a practice player and youth camp counselor. An experience that would later prove valuable in his role as president of the Trinidad and Tobago Basketball Federation.

Upon graduating, Manning held several investment banking and finance positions. He then acquired his MBA and returned to the Smith School on separate occasions for his master’s degree in finance.

He says those classes have had the most impact on his political career and his mission of transforming Trinidad and Tobago’s economy due to the breadth of technology and data-based projects he completed.

“That experience gave me insight into how a future, energy-based economy might look and how essential technology is to that,” says Manning. “Understanding how to tie energy and technology together is key in understanding how we can transform our economy into one that supports the industries of the future.”

However, being in the field and experiencing firsthand how technological advancements shape the financial world spurred Manning to return to Smith as a fall 2024 Doctor of Business Administration cohort member specializing in FinTech and artificial intelligence.

Observing how commonplace algorithms and multifactoral models have become in fund management fueled Manning’s desire to expand his educational foundation and broaden the depth of his expertise in business research and theories. He wanted to bring new approaches to industry challenges and help shape the future—for his country and career.

“I have decided to be at the cutting edge of this transformation, and the Smith School provides the best program available for busy, working adults,” says Manning. “Dean Konana and the faculty have developed a comforting environment where people like me can learn the skills of the future and gain confidence in our ability to lead in this bold new world.”

Manning says that any student seeking to follow a similar path, either in the business world or in public service, should make the most of their time at the Smith School. Get to know classmates and professors and gain different perspectives that “expand your worldview.”  

Above all, he says students should always remember to put others first, no matter the path they choose.

“In my view, that is true success,” says Manning. “It’s not just about yourself. It's about creating a better world for everyone.”