There are a lot more roles in asset management for qualified accountants today compared with, say, five to 10 years ago. It’s a good place to be. As a senior asset manager in the Impax commercial team, I’m involved in putting in place structures and processes within our investee companies, contract negotiations, tax structuring and reviewing investment deals. I work with the transaction team on purchase acquisitions, then take responsibility throughout the holding period until the exit phase. I’m working with accountants and technical personnel across Europe. There’s so much to learn and a real buzz around the market.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Sierra Leone. I was setting up an office in Freetown for my first job in industry, with Joule Africa, a developer of power generation projects. I’d go to the project site, which is up in the jungle. I would hear monkeys around me, I’d seen snakes. It was a different life than I was used to in London! I was still being an accountant but getting to do something different. It’s where I learned the core skills of managing assets. It opened my eyes to what I could become.
It’s very fulfilling because you’re aligned with nature, biodiversity and looking after the planet
Joule Africa is a small company that offered me a wide role. It let me have a hand in everything, from bookkeeping to managing operational challenges. At the time, it felt like a gamble, but it was great for my skills and building my career. I worked closely with the CEO and in-country general managers.
I knew when it was the right time to move a bigger company. I wanted to learn more of the corporate skills, of what the larger companies in industry are doing. After Joule Africa, I joined Diamond Generating Europe, the European subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, which is focused on investments in power and water generation. Here I started to get more involved in the financial side of the projects.
At Impax I’ve found my calling – the climate and transition sector is my passion. The private equity/infrastructure business of Impax Asset Management works with private equity investors seeking to invest in the transition to a sustainable economy. We invest in wind and solar development businesses, small-scale hydro, energy storage and adjacent sectors in Europe. My values are looking after the planet and giving back. It’s very fulfilling because you’re aligned with the transition to a green economy. You’re aligned with nature, biodiversity and looking after the planet for future generations.
