Joi

Assistant Vice President
Financial Sponsors Investment Banking, New York
Year of Hire: 2008

I currently work in Financial Sponsors and cover private equity clients and their portfolio investments for the Americas Investment Banking Division. The Financial Sponsors team works across all industries, focusing on leveraged buyouts, refinancing and monetization alternatives (IPOs, sales and follow-on offerings). Within Investment Banking, I work closely with Industry Coverage teams, Leveraged Finance, Equity Capital Markets, GFRM, Portfolio and Legal to make sure we are delivering the firm to the client.

I grew up in the suburbs of Michigan—looking for fun and adventure in an urban environment. I graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, concentrating in Finance and minoring in Economics. During college I was a teaching assistant, tutor and participated in a Dance Theatre Group. I studied abroad in London during the spring of my junior year and had an internship at an Investment Bank in Syndicated Loans. After junior year, I secured a summer internship in Real Estate Investment Banking. I had a great experience and joined the Analyst Program full-time in June 2008.

I spent my first two years at Barclays Capital in Real Estate Investment Banking. I learned how to build financial models, evaluate real estate companies and provide recommendations for strategic alternatives. My biggest accomplishment in real estate was building strong relationships with colleagues and clients. When I decided that real estate was not a career path I wanted to pursue, my group head helped me think through the next steps of my career.

After meeting with different teams throughout the firm, I found that I was a good fit in Financial Sponsors. I was excited to learn about many different industries and be in a high deal flow environment. I am most productive when I am working on several different projects at once. I was promoted to Associate in the summer of 2011 and continue to play a leadership role on deal teams to execute transactions.

People respect you and your ideas; no matter what your title or level of seniority. The firm is focused on delivering the best solutions for clients and works well together across coverage and product groups.

At Barclays, teams are focused on training junior bankers and investing in their career. I have the opportunity to participate in additional training programs and a “buddy” program in which I have both a senior and a junior “buddy”. My senior mentor gives me advice on how to navigate the firm and develop my career. I also have the opportunity to mentor new members of the firm. It's gratifying to work at a bank that believes in helping people achieve their highest potential.

I love food, travelling and being active. Living in New York City gives me an opportunity to try new restaurants every week. As a resident “foodie” and lover of all things delicious, I try a new restaurant for dinner every Friday. During my time off between the Analyst and Associate Program, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Asia for 4 weeks. It was one of the most rewarding experiences to submerge myself in different cultures and come back to my desk with a new perspective on life. Although my job does not allow me to travel around the world on a weekly basis, I am still able to catch kickboxing, Zumba and hot yoga classes during the week to relieve stress.