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Abdullah was hired by the country’s sovereign wealth fund after completing the nation’s “young leaders” program. His academic background in finance—with honors from a highly-reputed US university—positioned him to fill an analyst job in the direct-investment unit. His primary responsibility was to screen for transactions that offered direct economic benefit for the Arab country. An example of the sort of deals on which he worked included an investment of $100 million in a health-care concern, empowering the Swiss enterprise to open a world-class research facility in the Gulf that catered to oncology issues.
From Investor to Analyst, and Back Again
We first met Abdullah when we pitched a textile-related deal to the sovereign wealth fund. While the organization ultimately passed on the offer, his senior manager asked us if we would provide Abdullah with a period of vocational training. We were happy to oblige, in part because Arabic-language skills are always in short supply at our firm, given our ties to the Middle East, but also because we knew we could benefit from his developing-world perspective. The combination of those skills is near-to-impossible to find in our home market.
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Juergen Braunstein, Capital Choices
After a year, Abdullah returned to his position at the sovereign wealth fund with new-found responsibilities. He now had accountabilities for financial investment in global transactions, meaning he was a key relationship target for the largest international banks. He could easily allocate a chunk of cash to a popular IPO or buy into a private-market transaction. His relative youth was no obstacle to portfolio oversight; he was ultimately beholden to other heavyweights on the investment committee. The final check on his enthusiasm was the sheikh himself.
Ties to Cranganore
Abdullah has an insatiable desire to digest marquee deals, such as the initial public offerings of Uber and Levi Strauss. In truth, we are poorly suited to work on these sorts of transactions because of our boutique qualities. Our collegial ties, however, gives us room at the conference table for smaller, private-market transactions, especially in the technology sector. The sovereign wealth fund allocated cash, for instance, to a pre-IPO opportunity; we were awarded that mandate from a Silicon Valley venture. Meanwhile, Abdullah plays an active role in referring our ongoing deal flow to the most appropriate desk in his organization, including the hospitality and Shariah-compliant units.
Consulting Services
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