Private Markets Community

Hi everyone, Welcome to our community!

Here's a thread for us to learn more about each other.

Whether  you have a long-standing relationships with CFA UK or just only learning about it, whether you are an experienced practitioner with lots of insights on innovation or someone who would like to upskill and grow in this area, do share a few lines about you, your career journey and your professional points of interest and aspirations. 

Happy networking!

Look forward to seeing you here!

Aya

Hi everyone,

I am a CFA and Chartered Accountant (CA), working for BXR Advisory Partners, in-house investment adviser to BXR Group (bxrgroup.com), an international private investment group. 

BXR Group have a 28-year track record and a diverse range of global interests, including in Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Africa.

We invest, both directly and via partner investment funds, in a wide range of industry sectors and into businesses at all stages of maturity.

I work as a Principal across the full lifecycle of the investments; originating, diligenceing, executing, operating and exiting Private Equity, Real Estate, Venture Capital, Private Debt and other Private Markets investments.

Feel free to reach out if you have any Private Markets investment opportunities that we might be interested in, or if you are interested in purchasing or investing in any of our current investments.

Brendan

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Brendan James Smart
Principal
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hi Brendan, thank you and so great to see you here! 
We look forward to building this community together!

Hi all,
I'm Raj - a partner in a differentiated Emerging Markets Private Markets impact firm called Impactable.

Before Impactable, I spent 16 years at Macquarie Asset Management as a Senior MD. This included 10 years on the Exec Co for the Client Solutions Group (inc. time as CEO of the Australian Investment Management business (£100bn AUM, 200+ people)) and 6 years as the Business COO for the Global Fixed Income platform (£150bn+ AUM).

My private markets experience mostly relates to developed-market real assets (infra, property, natural capital) and, more recently, Emerging Markets.

I lived in Australia for more than half of my life and have been involved with the CFA community for over a decade inc. time as the Vice-President of the CFA Society of Sydney, on the Board, and Chair of some Committees.

Look forward to contributing to this community and meeting more of the group over time.

Raj

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Rajiv Subhas Gohil
Global Head of Distribution
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Hi all, 

I'm a Senior Product Specialist in Private Credit at DWS Group, based in Germany. I work at the interface of Portfolio Management and clients/distribution, translating investment strategy into institutional positioning and client discussions, and bringing client requirements into product development and delivery.

Before DWS, I spent 6 years at Deutsche Bank, across investment management and ESG roles. Most recently, I was a Multi-Asset Portfolio Manager in a tailored solutions platform (~€10bn AUM), serving as lead PM for a book of 130+ bespoke mandates for (U)HNW clients, foundations and endowments, alongside the design and maintenance of model strategy variants across liquid asset classes.

Earlier in my career, I worked at GLEIF in Basel, driving market-structure adoption (LEIs) with regulators and global banks, and I began in markets with Equity Sales at HSBC in Seoul.

I'm also active in the CFA community in Germany and look forward to contributing-particularly by connecting Continental Europe and the UK in private markets and strengthening cross-community exchange.

Sara

Hi everyone, it is great to be part of this community and to connect with high caliber professionals!

My experience is in the private credit space, having worked for the past five years on both sell-side in leveraged finance and on buy-side in credit investing. I started my career in the leveraged finance team at Credit Suisse and also worked in the private credit team at Goldman Sachs Asset Management doing direct lending, and private credit at Bridgepoint doing both direct lending and special situations. Currently I work for AIMCo, the Canadian pension fund for Alberta province and have exposure to both direct investments and Fund of Funds in the capacity of LP. 

I grew up in China and have spent the past ten years in Europe, first in Paris and now London. I am always passionate about meeting new people and getting evolved in intellectually-challenging projects and discussions about finance and beyond. I am looking forward to connecting with you all and to working together to make this community a vibrant place for ideas, exchanges and growth!

Hi everyone, I'm Dieu-Donne, but please feel free to call me DD.

I am an Investment Executive at British International Investment (BII), where I currently focus on private credit, trade finance and risk-sharing facilities across Africa and Asia. Before moving into my current role, I gained experience in the private equity space through LP-side fund investments and co-investments.

I took a non-traditional route into finance, starting in international development consulting. That experience gave me a unique lens on how to bridge the gap between advisory and capital deployment in emerging markets. I'm originally from Ghana, and find London to be the perfect intersection for my work and passion.

As a CFA charterholder, I'm excited to be part of this private market community and am eager to share insights and learn from your collective experiences!

Hi everyone 👋

I'm Ralitsa. I'm currently a Senior Risk Officer at HSBC Asset Management, covering the Alternatives platform, including hedge funds, private credit, infrastructure debt and capital solutions strategies. My role focuses on investment risk oversight across these strategies, working closely with investment teams on portfolio construction, risk assessment and governance. HSBC Asset Management manages $81bn in Alternatives.

Alongside my role at HSBC, I also advise an early-stage fintech startup, supporting its financial strategy and growth.

Before HSBC, I spent 5 years at Aberdeen Asset Management on the Fund of Hedge Funds team, which managed around $5bn. I held roles spanning risk analysis and investment management, with a focus on portfolio construction, manager due diligence and advising institutional clients, particularly pension funds, on hedge fund allocations. During that time, I was based between London and New York.

Earlier in my career, I worked in risk roles at Alliance Trust and State Street. I started my career in European public funds, working with the European Funds Directorate in Bulgaria. I've lived and worked across the UK and the US over the past 12+ years.

I've been actively involved in the CFA community both in New York and the UK, including volunteering with the CFA UK Mentorship Programme. I'm really excited to be part of this Private Markets community and look forward to sharing perspectives and learning from everyone here.

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Ralitsa Atanasova
Senior Risk Officer
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