Headstart: Management - A week in the life of: Shani Zindel,
Monday[QQ] Drove to the Midlands for an 11am meeting with a company in the healthcare sector. Left around 2.30pm. Not really a private equity opportunity but might be able to put them in touch with some people who can help. Worked in the Birmingham office in the afternoon and got back home at around 8pm.
Tuesday In just after 8am and caught up with 40-50 emails. We had our weekly deal team meeting at 10am. We have 30-40 investments on our work in progress list but focused on a biotech company that is of particular interest. Lunch with a Sunday newspaper journalist doing a piece on the VC industry. At 2.30pm internal operations meeting and 4pm went to our Investment Committee where we decided to invest in an IT software company.
Wednesday Took the car to the garage and was at work late at 9.15 to labour on a proposed investment offer. Number crunching and sandwiches at my desk. Emailed the offer and at 3.30pm went to KPMG’s offices for a presentation by a team wanting to stage an MBO. Impressed, left around 6pm to pick up papers from the office before home.
Thursday Southampton for 10am board meeting put back to 10.30 because I was late. No comment about South West trains. Meeting lasted until 1pm and then sandwiches with the FD while going over next year’s budget. Back to London by 5.30pm in time for a presentation from E&Y corporate finance team and then drinks
Friday Interviewed a candidate for a finance director’s job. Wasn’t suitable and by 10am was in a presentation by a group hoping to start a services business. Good presentation and management team. Business model unproven as yet. But that could change. Lunch with colleagues. 3pm meeting with the people who received Wednesday’s offer. Negotiations and fine tuning, though we weren’t far apart. Finally reached agreement. Finished checking messages at 6pm and then drinks with colleagues. Home early.
– Shani Zindel, 30, joined Friends Ivory & Sime Private Equity in 1997. She qualified with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and did her articles in Johannesburg.
