How did you get into finance? 

I was interested in business from a young age. When I was in a position to choose my degree, accounting and finance seemed to be the one that could open up a number of doors later on. I was told that the majority of CEOs are engineers or accountants, so it seemed a solid career choice.  

I studied accounting, auditing and finance at Lancaster University. Having done well in my first year, I was asked to join the EY programme, which turned my degree into a four-year course with two years’ work experience. I would say that was when a career in finance became inevitable.  

Was it tough combining study and work? 

I’m not sure I would say that combining both was tough, but it certainly meant I had to make sacrifices. At university, doing the placements and accountancy exams meant that I had a lot less free time, which made it harder to get fully involved in sports clubs or any of the societies. Looking back, that’s probably something I wish I had done.  

However, I came out in a great position. Exams are academic and focus on best practice, which rarely marries up with how things work in the real world. I might now only apply a small fraction of the knowledge from my exams day-to-day, but it’s great to have that foundation for those times when something unusual crops up. 

Why the move to private equity? 

I had a family friend who worked in private equity and it sounded like she had a very interesting job. I knew, though, it wasn’t straightforward to get into PE and that I would have to jump through hoops to get there. That’s why I first moved from EY audit to EY restructuring and then to Lincoln International as an M&A associate. Restructuring is about numbers; it’s black and white – either the business is viable or it’s fundamentally not. In M&A, there is more of an art to painting a picture of the company’s growth prospects and why a buyer should pay more for it.  

Once I had gained restructuring and M&A experience, I was finally in a decent position to apply to private equity. I joined Mobeus as an investment manager in April 2022. Private equity is very different to advisory. It was a move where I knew I’d be there for a long time so I really had to make the right choice. I liked how Mobeus focuses on management teams. 

What did you learn from your secondments? 

While at Lincoln International I worked in Sweden for seven months, which unfortunately ended as COVID-19 hit. Prior to this, with EY, I had worked in Dubai. Working internationally and seeing different approaches and cultures, and generally meeting new people, is an invaluable experience. Lincoln International in Stockholm was great – it was a small but tight-knit team and I have made some very good friends as a result, plus I saw some very innovative companies. 

What is your role now? 

I joined Mobeus six months ago as an investment manager. I am the boots on the ground and help take an investment from an opportunity to a business we partner with. I spend quite a lot of time on project management and due diligence-related activities, ultimately to be in a position where we can decide whether we should invest or not.  

At the moment, I am working on a couple of opportunities within very different sectors, but that’s what I enjoy. Our focus is on the SME market, which I think fits in well with my M&A and restructuring experience, because you need to be hands-on with the numbers, but also have sight of the bigger picture. 

What are your ambitions? 

I generally work with two or three others, but as a team we are collegiate and for me, coming in as a new person, it’s useful to have people above me who have been in my shoes.  

In terms of long-term goals, I don’t have any ambition to sit on a beach with my feet up – I get bored too easily. But I’d love to have a stake in a fund.  

I can’t see myself leaving the PE world – I love the variety and being able to get involved with so many interesting businesses. 

First published in Corporate Financier, Issue 247, November 2022