I’ve been challenged nearly every day since I first joined as a summer associate in 2006, and those challenges have brought me great opportunities to learn and advance my career.
What surprised you the most about Blackstone/your group when you first joined?
The collegial atmosphere probably surprised me the most. Blackstone has a reputation as a challenging place to work, but the M&A group’s steady growth and collaborative culture have provided ample opportunity for career advancement at all levels.
What assignments/deals have been most rewarding?
We advised AIG on their government-backed restructuring during the height of the global financial crisis in 2008. As part of that assignment, I worked on a number of divestitures that had to be completed very quickly in order to maximize proceeds to repay AIG’s loans from the government. It was rewarding to help find solutions in such a unique and challenging environment.
What advice would you give potential candidates?
It’s important for candidates to understand the difference between investment banking cultures that are transactional in nature and those that are more strategically oriented. Because we don’t engage in underwriting or trading, you have to truly enjoy tackling very challenging problems dealing with financial and business strategy in order to succeed at Blackstone M&A.
1999–2005
Financial Audit and M&A Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers
2005–2007
MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
2006
Summer Associate, Blackstone M&A
2007–Present
Associate, then Vice President for Blackstone Advisory Partners
Blackstone is a highly entrepreneurial and commercial firm. It is a great place for people to learn from the best. It is still a relatively small firm in terms of headcount but the global strength of Blackstone’s brand is quite remarkable.
What’s your typical day like?
I've been at the firm 16 years and every day is different and brings new challenges. I have worked
on a diverse array of interesting assignments: mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings, privatizations and investments all around the world.
How has Blackstone helped your career aspirations?
Blackstone continually gives its employees new challenges: I was given the opportunity to move to London in 2007 to work on the start-up of our Corporate Advisory business in Europe. This experience has been quite enriching from both a personal and career standpoint.
What advice would you give potential candidates?
Blackstone is a great place to work, learn and have a meaningful career. As the firm continues to grow into new product areas and geographies, there are continually new opportunities for our people.
1995
Graduated from the Wharton School - MBA in Finance, Palmer Scholar
1995–1996
Wolfensohn & Company Associate
1996
Joined Blackstone as a lateral Associate in the Corporate Advisory Group
2007
Joined Blackstone’s London office with a role to assist in the build out of the European and International Corporate Advisory business
2012
Relocated back to the New York office to focus on the real estate, luxury and business services sectors