By now I was working for the new fund in the marketing area having begun the role 'helping' with the PHD in managerial behavioural analysis focusing on brain function (obviously). I was a little confused on expectations but the alternative asset fund was based in Mayfair, the office swish and the location easy on the eye (and journey time). My new managers were good fun and were generous to a fault with regard to fine lunches and after work beverages, so things were looking positive. 

My immediate report was a brash Australian who loved the sound of his own voice on an unlimited variety of random subjects. I've never known someone to have such self proclaimed expertise, ranging from fund management to astronaut school to organic farming, all in one breath?! This was initially exciting as I assumed I would learn vast amounts of work related information, along with vast amounts of social trivia for after hours fraternisation. Unfortunately there seemed to be an intense lack of any form of any communication as he considered me threatening to his carefully crafted kingdom of super fund power. This scenario subdued my ambitious plan to actually succeed this time around in a marketing role. Not having someone to communicate the fund information to me meant a distinct lack of confidence (yet again) in cold calling clients and pitching fund strategies. I studied and researched but there is only so many articles you can read on fat left hand tales before you appreciate you still have no idea how this open information becomes a proprietary form of alpha for a fund. 

After about three months in the role the partners realised that I needed something like a geographic region to concentrate on, and to focus the companies marketing efforts. I was an expert at fraternising by now, but not so expert in raising cash, and thus I was presented with the Middle East. My previously mentioned, all round expert colleague, verbally expressed his considerable proficiency of this region but it was with some surprise he couldn't provide me with any introductions or guidance? This region is hard and I should point out at this stage I am blonde-ish, female and in the mid 30s range (so not a spring chicken one could say). En route for my first trip I still had serious confidence issues surrounding my knowledge of the fund and the reliance I had placed in my Chairman who was accompanying me. Blagging is not an area I consider myself skilled in (unless wangling free entry into an overpriced nightclub). If I didn't know an answer to a question from a client (who has generally been in the finance industry a good 20 years or so) I didn't have the wherewithal to make something up on the spot unless I knew the answer. So off I trundled to the Middle East with issues surrounding being blonde and fund un-knowledgeable and with a Chairman who fell asleep during meetings. 

Now, at the risk of sounding too self deprecating, I did end up attaining meetings with some very influential people in the middle east which ex-pats assured me were extremely difficult to access. And I'm sure most people realise that middle east success is generally garnered through  relationship development and not fast talking. This suited my business personality but sadly didn't suit the funds personality. To be fair to the fund the middle east requires a lot of time, money and expertise and their efforts were being concentrated elsewhere. But my time was to prove a lot shorter than anticipated thanks to the wanderings of a feline called Mao...