…have been fairly hectic, but there have been some memorable
moments:
The most strategically important: Following and
introduction by Nada Abubakr (Isle Pty, Australia), I met with the AMG Group.
Isle is probably going to partner with them in the Middle East. They love the
TAG model and understand how it could bring real change to the local utilities.
They are also a potential useful source of deals for GWD/Blackstone. (Visit
their web site, each page has a different quote from His Highness Sheikh Zayed
bin Sultan al Nahyan. He’s a modern day Oscar W).
The most enlightening: The Abu Dhabi cab driver
who expressed fervent anger towards his Muslim brothers who has been ‘gifted
money by God’ and then invested it in shopping malls. He drew a clear line
between those who had amassed their riches from oil, and people like himself who
worked for a living. He quoted the Koran with a scripture along the lines of
‘God will give stupid people money, don’t be surprised when they fritter it
away’. Aside from the obvious difference in content, the enthusiasm and passion
behind his statements wouldn’t have been out of place in a London cab. It was a
nice reminder of home.
The most embarrassing: This happened whilst
meeting with a potential new investee company (ie one we might invest in).
Everything was going well. The CEO was enthusiastically describing his business
plan and I, along with two local Blackstone colleagues, were listening intently.
Along with our coffees they had brought us each our own little bowl of snacks;
an eclectic mix of nuts, Ritz crackers, mini Mars and Ferrero Rocher chocolates
(honestly, no word of a lie). I absentmindedly popped a nut in my mouth and bit
down, only then realising that I was eating a whole hazelnut, shell and all. The
loud crack as it broke against my teeth resonated around the room. The CEO
paused in his talk to see what I would do. Chew and swallow, or spit and
dribble? An age passed as I weighed my options. I swallowed.
To my surprise, the CEO then commended me, stating that it
was good for my lower bowel/digestive system. This is just the sort of thing my
dad used to say when he was trying to get me to eat more fibre. For a brief
moment I felt like I was 10 again.
This whole investment banker thing really is beyond me
sometimes.
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