BT Boost: Entering a Career in Investing in Africa with Ettie Philitas

DESCRIPTION

In this episode, BT Boost Podcast Host Jemima Williams speaks with Ettie Philitas, Investment Director at Africa50, an infrastructure investing platform.

Ettie graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University in 2007 and with an M.B.A. from the Wharton School in 2013. After working for two years as a Private Wealth Management Analyst at Deutsche, Ettie became a Princeton-in-Africa Fellow. Before joining Africa50, he worked across credit, direct lending, and opportunistic investing at firms such as Credit Suisse, and KKR. He speaks about his journey and the lessons he learned while becoming involved in African infrastructure investing. Listen to learn about how to use and expand your professional networks purposefully, investing in developing markets, and the changing landscape of infrastructure in Africa in the age of Covid-19. Thank you for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/business-today/support

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 – 1:20 – Introduction to Ettie Philitas

1:20 – 7:08 – Career trajectory to Africa50 Infrastructure Fund

7:08 – 9:14 – How to utilize networks

9:14 – 11:44 – Impact of COVID-19 on day-to-day work and Africa50

11:44 – 14:10 – Impact of COVID-19 on the future of investment and infrastructure in Africa

14:10 – 16:50 – Moving from Western financial institutions to African investment

16:50 – 19:30 – Office-based vs hands-on work environments

19:30 – 22:50 – Making social change in finance

22:50 – 24:45 – How Ettie’s experiences at Princeton impacted career decisions

24:45- 28:15 – How to make social change in light of recent events (BLM, COVID, etc.)