CFA Institute

Gordon Institute of Business Science

University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria

Analyst: Global Markets IT Efficiency at BNP Paribas CIB

London, London, United Kingdom

- Considerable data analysis and reporting to support the financial management lifecycle decision making process within Global Markets IT. Ongoing activities include the tracking and analysis of actuals against the budget (Cash, PnL, Investment and Depreciation), managing the controls to identify cost anomalies and potential savings, and reporting on all analyses through monthly Steering Committee packs.▪ Extensive data and referential management to facilitate the accurate attribution of costs, to support the performance of controls used to investigate certain cost natures and to assist in the forecasting of simulated costing scenarios across business lines.▪ Ongoing analysis of capitalisation trends spanning multiple regions with varying capitalisation policies and performing associated controls to ensure project expenses are correctly accounted for.

BNP Paribas CIB

Analyst: Global Markets IT Efficiency

Investment Finance•	Analyse financial markets, and specifically equity markets, from within the firm as well as from positions outside of the firm.•	Exploring core concepts of financial economics and investment finance, including the notions of •	 Understanding models (such as the EMH, CAPM and APT) that are (debatably) argued to underpin the functioning of asset markets, with emphasis being placed on value investing.Mergers and Acquisitions•	Understanding valid strategic reasons for entering into a merger or acquisition transaction with added insights into the factors that influence success and failure in M&A.•	Appreciation of how to improve one’s chances of success through due diligence and structuring the deal.•	Post-merger integration.Strategy in Private Equity•	Identifying and understanding the strategic objectives, choices, trade-offs, challenges and opportunities facing a private equity firm in various scenarios and make recommendations to the management of the PE firm given the goals of meeting investor expectations and building wealth for the PE fund manager.Business Valuations and Deal Structures•	Understanding that valuation methods are not only crucial when a business makes investment decisions such as in mergers and acquisitions, but also when deciding on launching new products, entering strategic partnerships, investing in R&D or changing operating models.•	Comparing valuation methods, understanding risk and the optimal capital structure.•	Built dynamic NPV and APV models for valuation.Financial Modelling•	The major learning objective of this course was to consolidate the knowledge gained in accounting, finance and investments and to develop practical methods to analyse, model and solve problems.•	Advanced Excel methods were applied to topics including company valuation, cost of capital, portfolio/ hedge fund construction, event studies and bond immunisation.Thesis Topic- Calendar Effects on the JSE: A Markov Switching Approach

Full Time MBA Candidate

Financial modelling for strategy:•	Significant involvement in all financially faceted strategies such as formulation of the initial business            plan, equity distribution amongst shareholders at seed funding stages.Budgeting:•	Responsible for ongoing budgeting and forecasting •	Develop a dynamic and granular view of the attribution of cash flows in order to support the executive team in strategic decision making.Remuneration modelling:•	Formulation of variable incentive remuneration models for sales staff in order to adequately incentivise the sales force to maximise relevant cash inflows.Merger and Acquisition (M&A):•	Through the proposed acquisition of Obscure Technologies by a listed entity, I had significant input in the negotiation process through supporting forecasting models. This culminated in a staggered equity buyout agreement over four years, under which Obscure Technologies shareholders will receive a significantly higher return than the initial proposal made by the listed entity, provided the same predetermined sales targets are met.

Obscure Technologies

Strategic Financial Consultant

Trading German bond futures (Eurex exchange): Butterfly and Calendar Spreads.

Cape Point Derivatives

Derivatives Trader

Valuation:•	Ensured optimum pricing and/or valuation of all investment securities (predominantly fixed income instruments) with thorough investigation and resolution of pricing exceptions.Portfolio monitoring:•	Monitored instruments and portfolios for pricing reasonability.Instrument classification:•	Interpretation and implementation of new instruments in conjunction with Portfolio Managers and classification thereof for valuation purposes, client reporting and SARB reporting.Static data maintenance:•	Responsible maintenance of all static data according to agreed criteria on all relevant systems and contributed to ensure compliance to Asset Management governance, relevant legislation and risk mitigation strategies•	Sourced and checked contracts and secure signatures for all OTC trades, terminations and book overs.

Momentum Asset Management

Data Management and Valuations Consultant

Model formulation:•	Formulation and derivation of all model calculations pertaining to operational performance metrics and associated linked remuneration inclusive of calibration methodologies for set metrics and overall model integrityTransformation support:•	Supported the overall transformation initiative by providing quantitative support to business process formulation and training in line with change management procedural support and verification.Management:•	Managed junior quantitative team members and project teams providing actuarial and quantitative support.Model Calibration:•	Formulated and implemented the model calibration methodology in line with business parameters to accurate performance measurements based on recent data inputs.Coaching and Training:•	Personal Management training on conceptual design, staff training through supporting documentation and ad hoc personal training when required.•	Provided extensive training to the actuarial team to ensure sufficient model parameters and calibration thereof would be adequately catered to.

Value Consulting Solutions

Head of Quantitative Analytics

Company research and valuations :•	Predominantly DCF and multiple equity valuations to identify sources of value.•	Dynamic valuation models served as a basis to identify risks in a changing macroeconomic landscape.Fund performance returns and attribution calculations:•	All fund performance and attribution was calculated based on asset class and sector.Future’s position reconciliation:•	P&L and futures reconciliation was calculated on a daily basis.

Diedrechsen Family Trust

Investment Analyst

Equity valuations:•	Conducted company research and valuations (Primary listed African stocks ex South Africa). This entailed producing detailed evaluation reports for various projects both internal and externally.Performance and Attribution:•	Daily fund performance returns and attribution calculations which served as first line support in identifying anomalies and sources of value.•	Maintenance and updating of all financial and statistical data as well as demographics for both ad hoc client queries and Fund marketing material.Index Construction:•	Equity Index construction, parameter formulation and maintenance. This facilitated comparisons to be made between fund performance and the investible universe by sector and region.Executive visits:•	The bottom-up investment philosophy required extensive travel/ Company visits within southern and eastern African regions with listed company management (Group CEO/ CFO).

Sean Rich