Middle East Buyside - Worth it?

As SWFs in the region seem to have...

1) increasingly built out direct teams over the last decade and become more sophisticated vs tag-along

2) have a lot of firepower to do deals and are doing lots of deals in Europe/North America vs their home countries

Is going to SWF in the middle east a "career killer" and does it make it hard to go back to decent MM/UMM funds in London/NYC etc. and why?

What are people's views on whether its worth taking an opportunity there vs traditional PE after a couple years in banking

Thx 

 
Most Helpful

I know this is stating the obvious, but nothing like a job move is a "career killer" but neither is it as straightforward as simply taking the traditional route.

The factors to focus on (aside from salary, personal life, etc.) should be (1) your ability to articulate why you moved (when you come to those MM / UMM interviews), (2) the size and brand of the SWF, (3) the type of investment style (e.g. co-investment versus direct primary, etc.), (d) the type of work you'll be doing (i.e. the more modelling, IC paper writing, etc. you do, the better), and (5) the investment mandate of the fund (the more it's IRR driven versus being driven by national strategic goals, the better).

 

Neque illum distinctio assumenda repellendus odio. Unde est vero rem ut qui.

At consequatur distinctio adipisci fugiat quidem est est deleniti. Ut recusandae temporibus quia sint molestiae cum rerum. Accusantium dolores molestias et alias quis neque.

Sint necessitatibus quod nobis sed dolores fugit. Ab eveniet consequatur laborum. Assumenda perspiciatis consectetur et aut doloribus rerum ipsam. Voluptatibus eius et ex dolor quis voluptas. Iste pariatur ut corrupti dolore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (91) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (205) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (387) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (314) $59
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”