How would you describe your role to someone outside of finance?
I work in the Capital Markets Group of the Merchant Banking and Real Estate Investing (MB & REI) Division. MB & REI is the firm’s direct private investing group that puts capital to work on behalf of a diverse client base across a full range of investment strategies, including private equity, real assets, and credit. The Capital Markets Group is responsible for raising capital from and managing relationships with institutional and high net worth investors across all of the MB & REI investment strategies.
What do these different funds enable?
The different funds managed by MB & REI help institutional investors such as pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations as well as high net worth individual investors to meet their investment goals through investing in private assets, rather than publicly traded securities.
What’s your day-to-day like at Morgan Stanley?
Morgan Stanley has an amazing culture from an employee standpoint. You’re working with extremely intelligent people that truly want what is best for you career. What’s great about my group is that you are always working on many different projects and fundraises. Right now, I am working on three MB & REI funds that are currently in the market. We’re also about to promote a new product on which I played a leading role in helping the investment team complete all the necessary tasks in order to prepare for the product’s launch.
What are some of your interests outside of your work for Morgan Stanley?
I was on the US National Swim Team for a number of years and swam all four years at Princeton, so swimming was obviously a major part of my life. Therefore, I like to give back to the sport that gave me so many opportunities so I help run all the alumni social and networking events for Princeton Swimming and I am a part-time assistant coach at NYU. I also love going to work out classes in NYC, often going to Tone House classes with friends from Morgan Stanley. Not to mention, that living in such a great city like New York, I try to take advantage of all the amazing things that the city offers.
What did you study in college?
I graduated from Princeton with a degree in Politics and then received my Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. I have always loved the intersection between the public and the private sector. There were so many rule and regulatory changes after the global financial crisis that impact the private sector in a meaningful way. While my post-graduate path was somewhat different to the standard business school trajectory, Morgan Stanley viewed it as a positive which I think is very unique.
Are there any charities you’ve helped support?
Morgan Stanley has a fantastic and unmatched platform for its employees to get involved in different charities. This summer alone, I’ve volunteered at a school in New York as well as helped with the gardening of a local community park.
What’s it like starting a career at Morgan Stanley?
Morgan Stanley has a diverse employee base with employees who have attended many different universities and many employees are very passionate about their alma-maters. Whenever I speak to college students, I tell them to connect with Morgan Stanley employees that are alumni of their university and to get to know what they actually do on a day-to-day basis. There are so many different roles here that may not be what you think of when you think of Morgan Stanley. The firm has laid a great foundation for me and provides me with the opportunity to work with really amazing, intelligent people. It’s a very team-oriented culture and a great organization to push your boundaries. If you fill the room with people who are smarter than you—you’re bound to learn something.