Liza Azu

Current Employer/Organisation Name

African Capital Alliance

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

I have worked in Investment Banking (with the Standard Bank Group), Development Finance (with International Finance Corporation) and now work in Private Equity (with African Capital Alliance).

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

Finance has always been an interesting space for me, with more real life applications, in my opinion, than economics, which is what I studied. I like the idea of working on various projects and having to understand different industries and how to successfully finance growth.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

I was part of the International Students Advisory group.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I really enjoyed understanding more about finance’s foundation being economics and going back to the basics. Classes such as Economics of Corporate Finance, I really loved.

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

The campus – especially during the summer working on my dissertation outdoors.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

The program – my initial desire was the join the central bank in my home country

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Dynamism, ability to adjust to change and think on your feet have been very useful in my career. The experience of interacting with people with different backgrounds have also been very useful.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

It is imperative to read on and understand the space, which aspect of it you would like to be in and gain the skills required to thrive in the sector.

What are your plans for the future?

I enjoy the private equity space and I will either stay in this space long-term or transition into a more investment holding type of firm.