Tell us about your experience at Brookfield so far.

I've been here for two and a half years and originally joined our minority investments team within the Private Equity group. At the end of last year, I moved to our Wealth Solutions business where I work across both the structured finance and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) teams. 

Within structured finance, we look at opportunities to invest in asset-backed financings across traditional and specialty industries, like residential real estate or music royalties. Asset backed financing allows for a business to borrow against a portfolio of loans or a contracted stream of cash flows. For example, investing in music royalties gives us exposure to non-cyclical, long duration cash flows which are accretive to the insurance capital that we manage.

On the M&A side, I work closely with the team on strategic projects and transactions. These include opportunities to invest in or acquire businesses that either generate loans or other assets (basically the same companies that would be relevant for asset-backed financings). We also research and explore long-term trends that may be relevant to the business, such as changes in sales channels for insurance companies or industry consolidation. 

What appealed to you about this role?

The M&A and structured finance teams collaborate extensively with lenders and asset managers to both buy assets and opportunistically invest equity in operating companies. After joining Brookfield from a growth equity fund, this role has allowed me to broaden my exposure to corporate investing and credit. And I’ve been given an opportunity to collaborate with a global team of experts to offer asset originators and lenders unique, first-of-their-kind loan structures for both equity and balance sheet solutions. 

"Brookfield attracts individuals from all different industries which makes it a really dynamic and interesting place to work."

What made you transition to the Wealth Solutions team?

This was an exciting opportunity to be part of a fast-growing business within Brookfield. The Wealth Solutions team has made a point of bringing together people from around the Firm and hiring industry experts from outside of Brookfield. This, coupled with senior leadership that has come from our real estate, renewables and public strategy businesses, means I get the chance to work with people who have decades of experience in the insurance industry , and learn the credit side of the business.

What has it been like working with this broad set of peers? 

The Brookfield ecosystem is very real. It allows us to bring together differing expertise and perspectives to see the value they can add to transactions across the firm – instead of just a specific business unit. It was unexpected but despite being such a big organization, everyone really does collaborate and does it well. There's a strong willingness to work together across teams, and the company has a very flat organizational structure, allowing employees of all levels to contribute meaningfully. 

For example, I’ve had the chance to work directly with some of our portfolio companies in a few different industries on both internal business development initiatives and conducting due diligence on new deals. It’s been incredibly helpful to leverage the domain knowledge of our operating companies when evaluating investments that overlap with their areas of expertise. 

How has your time at Brookfield changed your perspective or approach to work? 

Brookfield has encouraged me to be more open-minded and consider different approaches to problem-solving. The company’s operational focus and the opportunity to work with both portfolio companies and teammates who have been leaders in their fields for years has expanded my understanding of investing and business fundamentals, beyond just numbers in a spreadsheet.