Corp. Development vs. REPE

Hi,

Anyone with experience/reccomendations regarding a career in either corp. development or REPE?

I am interviewing at a fast growing REPE (investment/acquisitions role) and also a corp. development role at a large MNE. 

Have a few years big4 valuation experience and also a few years real estate CF/advisory experience.

Tried to make a move to VC/PE, but with very limited transaction experience it seems to be hard!

How does a career in either of the two fields compare to each order in regard to; salary, exit opps, learing curve, exiting work etc.?

I am very motivated by front office/investment related positions being part of the whole deal cycle, having meetings, doing negotiations, going out with clients/investors/.., travel etc.

REPE seems like a great cultural fit, lots of young smart people, travel activity and great opportunity to join a fast growing company. However, I am not sure that I see myself in other types of RE roles/companies and are afraird about my exit opps if choosing this path. Also, Real Estate does not seem to be rocket science and it maybe get to repetative doing acqusitions in the long-term?

Corp. Development seems like a better choice in terms of exit opps (???), exciting M&A/deal work in an industry I find interesting and more expat opportunities/locations. However, I am afriad that work not will be fast-paced/dynamic enough and probably with a team where the majority have families and thus not that keen to have a beer after work etc.

Any thoughts would be helpful. 

 
Most Helpful

In Corp Dev at a tech company. From what it seems if you really enjoy the fast paced, constant deal analysis then REPE is probably your better bet. In corp dev when on a deal things move very slow at the onset, you need approval from everyone and their mother who, in most cases, do not have an M&A background. There tends to be a lot of time spent spinning wheels and revving up for things that more often than not do not happen. In corp dev vs repe the main point of the company who you work for is not to do deals. Companies are mainly there to create value for shareholders through day to day operations. Yes, M&A can really help juice returns and make your company better but again its not the main focus. You are also correct with the type of people you work with. I am on a team of about 8 and am the only one not married or with kids. With all that being said I actually love my job. I very much enjoy the aspect of deal work with all the modeling and such that comes with it but also enjoy knowing that 9/10 weekends I won't be bothered and can make plans after work on occasion. Another area to consider is comp. This is something I wish I thought more about during my switch to corp dev. It is a very slow progression in the corp world and unlike funds or banks where people are constantly moving in and out of jobs, people stay in Corporate for a while. This means a lot of times the only way to increase comp or move up is to leave. Happy to answer any questions you have specifically. 

 

What does the pay scale look like at corpdev for tech, and can you please elaborate further on how to increase comp by leaving?

 

Pay scale is unfortunately super subjective, I live in a high COL area and we had one analyst who made 65k with no bonus. Had another analyst at 95k have a third analyst at 125k. Its very company specific. In terms of leaving to increase comp what I meant was that you will eventually hit a ceiling at your company, whether it be the top of a pay range or no upward mobility the only way to break that ceiling is to move to another company. By doing so you can apply for the next level position assuming you are qualified and have the ability to negotiate the salary where as its harder to do that at a company that already has you. 

 

Thanks guys.

Do you feel that there’s lots of nice experiences linked to your jobs ie. travelling, going out with clients, company (target) visits etc. or are your jobs mainly done behind your desks and with zoom meetings/calls?

Also, do you think that choosing REPE now would make it hard to get in to corp. dev later on if I regret my choice in a couple of years? I already find it a bit though to make it to interviews in corp. dev. as I do not have much deal experience apart from the valuation work. 

 

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