Investment Banking Associate

My name is Albert Marsal, from Barcelona, Spain and I work at Kempen as an Investment Banking Associate (Real Estate team). I came to the Netherlands in 2016 to do a MSc Finance & Investments at RSM (Rotterdam). During my studies I got in touch with Kempen through a recruitment event when I instantly saw a cultural/fit match: young and fun team, great deal flow and plenty of opportunities to grow professionally. After that I decided to apply and luckily got recruited. Started working in September 2017 as an Investment Banking Analyst at the Real Estate team

What my role is about
My job involves a wide variety of tasks, but basically it comes down to bringing the transaction we are working over the finish line; this process includes analysis companies, preparing investment memoranda, reaching out to investors, negotiating with interested parties, etc.

A typical workday
It really depends on the day as not a single day is equal, but the most common tasks in a day can include having a team meeting, preparing a financial model, working on presentations, guiding more junior colleagues, having discussion with our client or external parties, coordinating other advisers, etc. But it also includes (if corona restriction allows) more social activities such as having lunch or dinner with my team, finding a moment to do some physical exercise and on Friday enjoying a few cold beers with my colleagues

What I like most about my job
On the one hand I like to be in a dynamic environment where a lot is happening, much of which intellectually challenging, which allows me to learn quickly and have a steep career progress. On the other hand, I love the social part of my job; the fact that we have such a young and friendly team and that we get along makes me enjoy my job very much. Social activities such as gathering for a drink on Fridays, going all together to ski in the Alpes in winter or to Ibiza in summer, make Kempen a unique place where hard work and fun exist together 

Let me tell you more about a project I work on
At the moment I’m working on two public takeovers, which probably is the most high-profile type of deal one can work on at Corporate Finance. These are typically high-pace, high intensity transactions from which you can learn a lot, and which do not happen often. If you are a football fan, this is like playing in the Champions League (and not all clubs qualify for this tournament 😉)

Last but not least, a little piece of advice for people thinking of applying to work for Kempen
Choosing the right company where to start your career is not easy, especially in finance where there are so many options. However, I strongly believe that Kempen & Co has very distinct characteristics that make it great place where to work, particularly as a junior banker. I’d recommend you to do some research, maybe reach out to some of us and afterwards decide for yourself whether you want to work here. If you decide to apply, prepare your interviews well as, of course, we have high standards. Best of luck!