I find the dual commercial and developmental mandates of IFC and the ability to work on projects that produce tangible results in developing countries to be very fulfilling. Before joining IFC, I was a management consultant for over five years.
Although it was intellectually stimulating and offered the opportunity to work at high levels with client companies and with excellent colleagues, my level of personal fulfillment and satisfaction was nowhere near what it is at IFC.
The depth of experience and knowledge available within the IFC network is an aspect of IFC that I only fully appreciated after I joined as an investment officer in 1998. I have taken advantage of opportunites to rotate every several years to a different sector or regional department and have worked on both new business and portfolio projects. It is a constant learning process, as well as a constant flow of opportunities, in which to apply the learning and hopefully improve the quality of the projects. In my experience, it is clear that IFC, with its breadth and depth of experience, is viewed as a market leader in many respects. I feel it is my responsibility to mobilize and share this knowledge for the benefit of co-investors and client companies alike.
In addition, the multicultural environment of IFC is also very appealing to me. After completing the MBA program at INSEAD and working internationally for several years (based in London, working on projects in Belgium, Sweden, South Africa, and elsewhere), IFC offered me the opportunity to continue working in the multinational setting that I find fascinating and enjoyable. |