I'm usually in the office by 6:45 am, but the day starts earlier when I wake up and check my phone to make sure that nothing arose overnight.
On any given day, we'll be launching a new issue and have a management presentation for our sales force. I'll want to make sure that the team is still on time and that we've received all the materials for the transaction. After the meeting, I'll send out official announcements internally so our sales force can start to market the new issue. I usually have a lull at this point and quickly scan the high yield news publications that morning and see if anything new or breaking has hit the tape. When I'm not working on new issues, I'm working with our origination team in New York on pitches for prospective clients. By being close to the sales force and our accounts, we can gauge their appetite for certain types of structures and transactions we may be pitching.
It's safe to say that no two days are alike and that at any moment, we could be working with industry and product teams in New York, issuers on the road marketing a new transaction, or working with investors on a new deal we have in the market.
The best experiences I have had on my desk have been working on the complex deals with my direct managers. During these transactions we'll be working with investors and issuers in real time proposing and modeling various changes in order to finalize the deal. The most rewarding days are when we are able to execute a new issue transaction in the wake of market where other underwriters are pulling deals.
After having worked at other larger banks, I realized that a large institution was not going to offer me the direct hands-on opportunities that I was seeking. Since I joined the firm, our group has grown in size and deal flow. But the biggest benefit that I could not have foreseen has been the nature of the culture. At Jefferies, everyone has the same mentality that we are one firm and that nothing is outside of anyone's scope of responsibility. This has allowed me to seize opportunities within the firm that may not have been present if there was a rigid bureaucracy preventing cross collaboration. Knowing that I have the support and advice from my team to pursue problems, Jefferies has given me an unparalleled ability to expand my expertise.