Young Guns of Secondaries: The countdown begins

With just two weeks to go before nominations close, our latest Young Guns of Secondaries ranking is charging ahead. We’ve received a flood of nominations for a mix of buyers, advisors and legal professional.

What’s blown us away is how much the candidates have already accomplished in their careers. There is the Paris-based advisor taking the European secondaries world by storm, particularly in the French market where he averages around 10 deals per year. Or the Dallas-based director who launched his firm’s alternatives unit bringing in secondaries capital. Or the New York-based principal making waves in credit secondaries.

Those who make the list will be the future leaders of the secondaries market. Why are we so sure? Just look at the number of Young Guns alumni who have already been poached by market rivals for their talent and acumen – at least 17 and counting. The latest are Nomura’s Richard Golaszewski, the 2018 Wild Card who left the Japanese bank this week and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s Sebastien Siou, who topped last year’s ranking and was poached by Whitehorse Liquidity Partners. We’re aware of at least two others and hope to update you soon.

That’s not to mention the countless Young Guns who have been promoted after appearing on the list – a vindication of their deserved recognition.

Here’s what we liked about the professionals who made last year’s ranking:

– It wasn’t just a popularity contest. Quantity of nominations didn’t stun the judges – quality matters much more. The top-ranking Young Guns were highly respected by well-placed sources who gave specific examples of how the person had expanded the market or led innovation.

– Working on big deals isn’t the be all and end all… but it does help. Was the person the driving force behind a multi-billion dollar deal? Were they working tirelessly to understand the dynamics of a deal in order to get it over the line?

– Disruption is a big plus. Around 20 percent of professionals from last year’s list came from upstarts – new or niche firms giving the traditional shops a run for their money. Breaking the mould requires creativity, the ability to think outside the box and, yes, a bit of chutzpah – never a bad thing in an industry that’s grown more than seven-fold over 10 years largely thanks to its innovative and creative individuals.

We want this year’s list to be as thorough and as extensive as possible, and for that we need your help. Find details of what to submit here.

Send your nominations to young.guns@peimedia.com by Friday 26 June and keep your eye on Secondaries Investor at the end of August for the Class of 2019.