Alpine makes 'Best Place to Work' list
What attracted you most to joining WestBridge?
Having spent the first part of my career in an environment where everyone's voice was heard equally, this remained a priority. From the offset, it was clear that there is a high level of entrepreneurial spirit and creativity within the team that allowed a new joiner the space to be a part in contributing to the culture and development of WestBridge. I also wanted to be in a position to create meaningful long term relationships with Founders and management teams to partner with them throughout the ups and downs in their business’ next stage of growth. The WestBridge value creation model is a unique opportunity to build on these relationships, accelerating the growth of a business throughout the lifetime of an investment and beyond.
How did your career bring you to private equity?
I started my career at Investec, advising fast growth early stage companies raise primary and secondary equity. This was an incredible way to develop my technical skills, understanding and respect of Founders raising equity within a testing market. However, I always had a strong desire to continue working with the teams beyond the transaction and therefore felt that my skillset would be better suited for the world of Private Equity and particularly within a fund that had a strong ‘partnership led’ approach.
Where would you work if not private equity?
I spent some time in Zimbabwe and Zambia earlier this year and have always been incredibly passionate about wildlife conservation efforts, so this has always been a real temptation. I also worked in horse racing growing up and love being outdoors, but this remains a hobby for now…!
What does life look like when you leave the office?
I unfortunately became a little stereotypical earlier this year and had a go at a Triathlon, which I loved, but it does take up a large proportion of my time outside of the office. Otherwise, I love spending time with friends and family trying out new foodie spots in London as my cooking skills are appalling.
What do you find most rewarding about your role at WestBridge?
I started my time at WestBridge pretty much thrown in at the deep end, managing the deal process on the first WestBridge III investment, Tryzens, working closely with Ed Minton and Guy Davies to evaluate the opportunity. This was an incredibly steep learning curve but I loved every minute. Forming a strong relationship with management to win in a highly competitive process and completing the deal to a tight timeframe over summer made it all worth it.