Girish

Girish is Head of the Integrated Strategies Group. Based in the New York office, he develops new relationships and investment opportunities, focusing on those that fall outside the mandate of other investment groups. This includes investing alongside family offices, family or founder-owned businesses, corporates, and fundless sponsors.  He also sits on the Integrated Strategies Group’s Investment Committee, which decides which opportunities to invest in across the globe. 

Outside of work, spending quality time with his wife and kids is his top priority, whether out exploring or just relaxing at home. He also enjoys catching up with his friends. When he is not with his loved ones, he can usually be found with his nose in a good book. He is equally happy immersing himself in content related to his work or switching things up with a completely different read.  

Why did you decide to join GIC?

Prior to joining GIC, I spent a decade as a management consultant. But as much as I loved the work, the push factor that drove me away from consulting was the desire to balance family and business travel. When my wife and I welcomed our first bundle of joy into the world back in 2009, I figured I had to find a career that would allow me to spend more quality time with my family. That is what drew me to GIC. My interest in GIC was also driven by my interest in corporate finance—after a stint in a corporate finance consulting firm—and interest in moving to a buy-side firm. 

What does your typical workday look like?

The best part of my job is that I cannot answer this question—there is no such thing as a ‘typical workday’. Every day is different and that is exactly how I like it. In the Integrated Strategies Group, we have a broad investment mandate, which allows us to look at a variety of investment opportunities across a wide spectrum. With the flexibility to take up opportunities that provide the best risk-return tradeoffs, the team is constantly engaged in a wide variety of investment matters. What is common on a daily basis is working with an incredible team, and meeting highly successful founders, families, and investors. I thoroughly enjoy the fuzziness associated with my job! 

What do you like most about working here?

I had the initial perception (or fear) that GIC would be slow and bureaucratic. Thankfully, the reality was vastly different! While there are clearly defined processes and policies, there is sufficient leeway provided to investment teams to chase opportunities within GIC’s broad risk-return characteristics. Even as a newcomer back then, I had freedom in sourcing and executing investment opportunities. This continues to apply throughout my career in GIC. 

But it is not just the job itself that makes me love working here. It is the intelligent and friendly people I get to work with every day. This is especially important in our field of work as we tend to be organised in small teams to work on projects. I am most proud of my team’s ability to remain nimble and pivot to opportunities that provide the best risk-return characteristics. For example, we previously focused primarily on equity or equity-like investments. However, as we saw the macro environment becoming more challenging, we focused on investments that were senior in the capital structure. Recently, we underwrote more investments in the public securities space as we saw that valuations correct faster in the public markets than on the private side. I hope we can continue to remain nimble and flexible, even as we scale up our portfolio and team size. 

How would you describe the learning & development culture at GIC?

GIC provides a variety of tools and resources to aid in the professional development of all its employees. Throughout my career here, I have had access to top-notch training and workshops that have been perfectly aligned with my development priorities. It is not just about the formal training, either; many of the senior folks at GIC have taken me under their wing and provided invaluable mentorship along the way. 

I also appreciate the internal mobility opportunities within GIC, which allow me to gain access to new career and learning opportunities. I started out in the Private Equity department in our Singapore office way back in 2010. In 2011, GIC was gearing up to open an office in India and I jumped at the chance to be part of the pioneer team. That was an exciting proposition as I was given the opportunity to do something entrepreneurial under the umbrella of a large organisation. I was then given the opportunity to join the Integrated Strategies Group in the Singapore office in 2015, before shifting to the New York office after three years. It has been an incredible journey so far and I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had to learn, grow, and explore new horizons within GIC. 

What you should know before joining GIC

Always stay nimble! Nimbleness is a cultural trait that we value in GIC and has been emphasised right from the day the Integrated Strategies Group came into being. We believe that being able to pivot and adapt quickly is a huge strength, and we have worked hard to make sure all our processes and procedures reflect that. For example, our deal teams are given plenty of flexibility to deliver on the timelines imposed by external factors while still upholding the highest standards of rigour and diligence. It is all about being able to move fast without sacrificing quality or attention to detail.