Artificial Intelligence – AI – is the hot topic of the moment and understandably so, with the widespread availability of services such as Chat GPT bringing the subject firmly into the mainstream and making it widely apparent that we are on the cusp of a major technological step forward. The...

All of a sudden it seems as though everyone is talking about ESG. As with all such financial fashions, ignorance is a high-risk strategy – the subject is highly likely to come up at some point in an interview process and you should not only know what it is, but also have an articulate and...

Continuing my series of posts on the basic information you need to stand out at interview for a PE role (previous ones have covered valuations and GP/LPs), this is an overview on the role of the Investment Committee (AKA: the IC). What is the Investment Committee (IC)? While a deal team will...

This is my second post about information that you should be familiar with if interviewing for a role in Private Equity (the first was on valuation). The objective is to arm the uninitiated with information that will make you able to talk, if not like an expert, then at least like someone who is...

You spent every Uni summer doing internships, you networked like mad, you did loads of research on the finance industry, you planned your entire career from day one to retirement (at 45, in the Bahamas), you studied hard for your degree… and you still didn’t get offered a job at GS. Well guess...

One of the issues I am often asked about in relation to Private Equity is valuation. This is a big subject, but I will try and cover the basic principles – these are all things you should be aware of and able to discuss knowledgeably if interviewing for a PE role. Invest-Develop-Sell First, I...

Many people like the idea of a career in Private Equity, not least because it tends to be associated with high financial reward, but what exactly does Private Equity (PE) involve? A bit of history The concept of private investment in commercial ventures goes back centuries, but the concept of...

Ok, strictly speaking this is about my second job in finance, which is the one that most mattered to me from a career perspective. To get my first job out of the way, I joined a large retail bank out of University, applying – like most people – through the standard “milk round” of applications...