CFA UK careers pathway: Critical thinking in the age of AI
Tuesday 24 March 2026 | 13:00 - 13:50 | Webinar
With generative AI, social media noise, and rising levels of disinformation, the ability to reason clearly and think critically has never been more essential. Andrea Lechler, Philosopher, Oxford University, will take you through essential reasoning and logic frameworks that underpin sound decision-making in finance.
Critical thinking isn’t just academic it’s a career advantage. From evaluating investment opportunities and assessing risk to presenting recommendations to stakeholders, your ability to analyse information objectively, identify problems early, and make reasoned judgments directly impacts your credibility and success.
To help you strengthen these skills and apply them effectively in your role, this session will cover:
• How to distinguish deductive, inductive and practical reasoning
• When to use which type of reasoning
• How the premises of a line of argument can support its conclusion
By mastering these skills, you’ll gain the edge to excel in today’s competitive financial markets and accelerate your career progression.
Who should attend?
This session is designed for mid to senior-level investment professionals who are responsible for evaluating complex opportunities, presenting recommendations to stakeholders, and making high-stakes decisions. It’s also ideal for those preparing to step into leadership roles and looking to strengthen their reasoning and judgment to gain a competitive edge in today’s fast-changing markets.
Registration: 12:55
Event: 13:00 - 14:00
Speaker: Andrea Lechler, University of Oxford
Andrea Lechler holds a degree in Computational Linguistics, an MSc in Artificial Intelligence, and an MA and PhD in Philosophy. She has extensive experience of teaching philosophy for Oxford University and other institutions. Her research focuses on the nature of reasoning and fundamental questions in ethics.
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Speaker
François Trahan - President and founding partner of The Macro Institute
François Trahan is an economist by training with a master’s degree in finance and econometrics. He is widely praised for his differentiated insights into the drivers and dynamics of the marketplace and his unique understanding of the business cycle. In 2016, François was inducted into the Institutional Investor All-America Research Team Hall of Fame after placing first in Portfolio Strategy for ten of the previous 12 years. He has also ranked for Quantitative Strategy.
François is currently President and founding partner of The Macro Institute – a firm dedicated to macro research and education. Previously he was a Managing Director at UBS where he led the U.S. Portfolio Strategy effort, and prior to that he was a founder and managing partner of Cornerstone Macro. Before that, he was Vice Chairman of Wolfe Trahan & Co., Chief Investment Strategist at International Strategy and Investment Group (ISI), and the Chief Investment Strategist for Bear Stearns & Co. Earlier, he worked for Ned Davis Research and the Bank Credit Analyst Research Group.
François received undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics from the University of Montreal. Along with Katherine Krantz, he is the co-author of "The Era of Uncertainty: Global Investment Strategies for Inflation, Deflation, and the Middle Ground," published by Wiley & Sons in August 2011.