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INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

  • 1.  INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 20-01-2026 12:15

    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



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    Aya Pariy
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  • 2.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 21-01-2026 14:26
    Edited by Brendan James Smart 22-01-2026 07:50

    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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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 21-01-2026 14:28

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



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    Aya Pariy
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 22-01-2026 14:30
    Edited by Rajiv Subhas Gohil 22-01-2026 19:24

    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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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 24-01-2026 09:49

    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



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    Sara Sunyoung Hwang
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 24-01-2026 13:42

    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!



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    Yue Wu
    Associate, Private Credit
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 25-01-2026 17:11

    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!



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    Dieu-Donne Gameli
    Investment Executive
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 04-02-2026 20:18
    Edited by Ralitsa Atanasova 04-02-2026 20:19

    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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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 12 days ago

    I am a CFA Charterholder and have an MPA from Columbia University. I run a Venture Intelligence platform, GFIRS as well as an associated VC with a focus on Frontier and Emerging markets. I currently have 2 deals which I am seeking potential partnerships for. One in hospitality in Abuja, Nigeria ($30m) and a circular economy, waste recycling company ($11m) in Lagos Nigeria. Please reach out if you have any propects for any of these deals.



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    Chukwuebuka Ndukaku Emebinah
    Liquidity Reporting Analyst
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 12 days ago

    Hello Chukwuebuka, welcome to CFA UK Private Markets Community.

    Here you can engage in discussions with other community members, investors, on various challenges at the market, use the library resources and sign up for community events. The mission for this community is to help all stakeholders to network, upskill and learn from each other. Check our our events secions for whats coming up/

    Aya, community manager



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    Aya Pariy
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 11 days ago

    Hello everyone, 

    I'm Oksana, a CFA charterholder based in London. My career started in wealth management at RBC and ScotiaMcLeod in Canada (primarily public markets) before an MBA at London Business School and a shift into private markets technology: first as a founding commercial hire at a seed-stage SaaS company, and for the past several years as Sales Director at Dynamo Software covering the LP and Institutional segment across EMEA.

    So I came to private markets through the technology side rather than the allocator side, so my vantage point is on how the infrastructure is evolving. Particularly interested in how AI and data automation are reshaping LP operations and what that means for institutional investors trying to scale.

    Looking forward to the conversations here,

    Oksana

    -------
    Oksana Smith
    Sales Director, EMEA
    Dynamo Software



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    Oksana Smith
    LP Sales Director, EMEA
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 10 days ago

    Hi everyone,

    I'm Stephan, a Senior Director at KBRA in London, where I focus on fund finance ratings covering structures like Rated Note Feeders, NAV facilities, CFOs, and GP-stakes financing across private credit, secondaries, and ABL funds.

    I have a background in Mathematics and Computer Science (Imperial College) and am a CFA charterholder and member of CFA UK. I also recently completed the Private Markets Investment Programme at Saïd Business School.

    Looking forward to the discussions.

    Stephan



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    Stephan Richtering
    Director
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF HERE

    Posted 2 days ago

    Thanks Aya for all the hard work.

    My name is Jose Carlos, and I work at UBS Unified Group Alternatives, covering co-investments, secondaries and primaries within Real Assets / Infrastructure.

    Main responsibilities include create and maintain relationships with Fund managers, originate and execute transactions, and participate in fundraising for both institutional and wealth management clients.

    Prior to UBS, worked in Mercer Private Markets (part of Marsh & McClenan group) and BlackRock Real Assets. Before working in private markets, spent 3 years at MetLife Investments (asset manager of MetLife, largest US insurance company) and Informa Business Intelligence (sell-side, covering Telecom market). Prior, worked in Allfunds Bank, an investment research boutique covering mutual funds and institutional clients in London.

    My career started in Wealth Management and Private Banking, first at Santander Private Wealth and then UBS (Madrid) for UHNWI. I completed a graduate training programme at Bank of Spain (central bank, dealing with FMI and ECB in Frankfurt) and spent ~2 years at Strategy Consulting at Everis (Spin-off of Arthur Andersen).

    Completed CFA Chartered Holder in 2018 and European Financial Advisors in 2008, and since 2016, been very active at CFA UK, both at the CFA Social Committee and now founding member of CFA Private Markets Community.

    A pleasure to be here.  Feel free to connect.



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    Jose Carlos M. Iraculis, CFA
    Senior Investment Analyst
    Mercer Alternatives | Infrastructure
    London
    07718605754
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    Original Message


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