Hi All,
I'm currently doing PE and hedge fund financial / regulatory reporting (operations) for one of the major US Banks. I have infrequent interaction with portfolio managers and investment teams that select and analyze portfolio investments (mainly mediating auditors' questions to the PMs about investment valuations during fund audit cycles).
I want to move from an operations role to an investment analyst role with the ultimate goal of one day starting a hedge or private equity fund with a few colleagues (currently working in legal, compliance, risk). I currently have 6 yrs of reporting / regulatory / operations experience, and the colleagues I have in mind to approach have about 10 yrs experience in their respective fields.
My question is, what is the best way to move from my current operations role to a portfolio manager or starting a hedge/PE fund? I've heard that networking and track record is very important; my thought process is that in my current operations role, I'm not analyzing and giving my opinion on investments, so how do I establish a network and track record?
I have an accounting degree, but my work experience over the last 6 years has given me a good understanding of investment finance, financial modeling, valuation techniques. Should I get a CFA to help with the shift from operations to investment analyst?
Also, I'm making a pretty decent salary (between $65k - 75k); would this be substantially less as an "entry level" investment analyst?
Thanks
