GF
Sector: Private equity / Venture capital
Why holding a CFA will greatly enhance your chances of getting a job at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Relatively speaking, with around 1,000 charter-holders, the CFA is not a particularly prevalent qualification within the Middle East. If you have aspirations to work for the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund in world, however, you should consider undertaking it. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority employs 93 CFA charter-holders, which is the largest number of any [...]
MIDDLE EAST MOLE: After the summer, expect the winter to be frosty
As many in the Middle East will know, we’re about to enter the final month of work this side of summer, before recruitment grinds to a halt and deal activity hibernates until Ramadan comes to an end. We can reflect on an eventful first half – the ‘Arab Spring’ denting any hopes of a deal [...]
MIDDLE EAST MOLE: From the ashes emerges a new form of GCC private equity
For all the talk of the turnaround in the Gulf financial market, private equity remains in the doldrums. The almost non-existent fund raises have been extremely disappointing and deal pick up lags way behind recovery in corporate M&A. New PE ventures, months in the planning, are being shelved before they are officially launched. While there [...]
The politics of working for a Gulf sovereign wealth fund
Is working for a sovereign wealth fund in the Middle East all it’s cracked up to be? Despite relying “almost entirely on expatriate labour”, the favouritism exhibited towards the small proportion of local candidates makes for some fractious internal politics. SWFs in the Gulf have been successful in signing up talent from some big ticket [...]
Jon Moulton’s favourite interview questions, and how to answer them
Jon Moulton has told us what he likes to ask candidates in interviews. If you are ever in an interview with Jon and you have read this article, you will therefore be at a substantial advantage. For those of you who have not heard of Jon, he is a very well known private equity investor [...]
MIDDLE EAST MOLE: Expat bankers didn’t sign up for this violence
Right now, most financial services professionals around the world are figuring out what to do with their bonuses, but not so in the GCC. Instead, personal safety and career-destroying civil wars, deposed rulers, mobs and violent law-enforcers are the main topic of conversation among Western expats. You saw the headlines: a guy self-immolates in Tunisia, [...]
HSBC reiterates commitment the Middle East in wake of regional turmoil
HSBC has taken the opportunity to reassert its commitment to the Middle East in spite of the escalating social unrest in the region, on the back of nearly doubled year-on-year pre-tax profits and increased staff numbers. The bank posted a profit of $892m for its Middle East operations in 2010, up from $455m in 2009, [...]
What Shuaa Capital’s results tell us about the state of hiring in the Middle East
If Shuaa Capital is generally considered a bellweather for investment banking prospects in the GCC, there are reasons for concern. The firm’s shares took a beating today after reporting its Q4 and full year results yesterday evening, posting a loss of AED223.6m for the year. This does, however, represent a huge improvement on 2009, when [...]
Big Egyptian investment firms try to reassure staff
While the ongoing conflicts in Egypt are unlikely to directly impact many working in the GCC financial sector, it’s easy to forget that one of the region’s more prominent investment banks and private equity houses hail from the country. Not surprisingly, they’ve been eager to reassure staff members that all is OK. EFG Hermes, has [...]
ADIA targets local candidates (very) early
In what now seems like an annual PR push, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) has offered another insight into its recruitment practices and revealed that, when it comes to hiring local candidates, it targets them early. ADIA identifies local candidates, what it terms “future leaders”, at high school and – after series of interviews [...]
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