The choice of a lifetime
Assem Karipanova, 29, has been a Fundraising Operations Associate at EQT Partners for five years. Originally from Kazakhstan, she is now married to a French man and has a 3-year-old daughter. Living in a quiet neighbourhood of the capital, she delights in being able to walk to her office in the city centre through parks and tree-lined streets. It’s a pleasure she indulges in both in the morning and evening.
Happy with the life she leads today, she enthusiastically recounts the long journey that brought her to Luxembourg. After years spent between boarding school and her mother’s fruit store, she packed her bags and moved to China. After completing a year of Chinese language studies at Qingdao Technological University, she began a Bachelor’s degree in International Business at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a programme which included a two-month work placement abroad.
“I spent this time at Union Internationale de Pentathlon Modern in Monaco. It was my first time in Europe and I enjoyed the region so much that I promised myself I would come back and do my Master’s degree.” This is how she ended up at Antwerp Management School, in 2017, to pursue a Masters in Global Management. “I tried to travel as much as possible while I was in Belgium and that’s how I discovered Luxembourg, the beautiful colours of autumnal trees, and immediately fell in love with the country.”
This first encounter with Luxembourg prompted her to do a two-month internship in the country, at Sogeti, and then to apply for a job in the financial sector as soon as she finished her studies. This quickly led to a position with EQT Partners.
You are a fundraising operations associate
Assem Karipanova : In my current role, I project manage fundraising from the operational side. In a nutshell, this includes multiple workstreams such as fund structuring and incorporation, marketing of funds, as well as client onboarding and services. The team is now made up of 10 people. When I joined the fundraising operations team in 2018, I was the second person to come on board. I learnt a lot in my first year. While my studies provided me with a general business background, I never imagined working in the investment fund industry, and more specifically in private equity.
While my studies provided me with a general business background, I never imagined working in the investment fund industry, and more specifically in private equity.
Fundraising Operations Associate at EQT Partners
What specific skills does it require?
Assem Karipanova : You need to be open-minded and strive for improvements, as well as have strong communication and negotiation skills, which can always be improved. Understanding the big picture of the private equity world is also a great asset when starting your career in this sector. However, if you do not have this background, you can always learn. This was my case, so I would say being a quick learner is necessary. Finally, you need to be able to clearly express complicated concepts in a simple way and be a true team player.
What do you like about your job ?
Assem Karipanova : You need to be open-minded and strive for improvements, as well as have strong communication and negotiation skills, which can always be improved. Understanding the big picture of the private equity world is also a great asset when starting your career in this sector. However, if you do not have this background, you can always learn. This was my case, so I would say being a quick learner is necessary. Finally, you need to be able to clearly express complicated concepts in a simple way and be a true team player.