Week 7 marked a significant milestone in my internship at Virtas Partners – my first deep dive into real client work. It’s been an exciting and insightful experience, offering a firsthand look at the world of private equity and financial analysis within Virtas Partners.
As part of a Virtas Partners team assisting a private equity client with a prospective acquisition, I was tasked with analyzing the target company’s historical financial performance. This project immediately immersed me in the practical application of financial principles. My initial assignments involved crucial tasks such as verifying payroll tax payments and shareholder distributions. These might sound straightforward, but they were foundational and allowed me to contribute meaningfully from the start. I also had the opportunity to join kickoff and planning sessions with the Virtas Partners internal team, gaining valuable insight into project strategy and execution. My primary responsibilities revolved around supporting the creation of client presentations. This included formatting charts, condensing financial statements, and providing support to the engagement directors at Virtas Partners, Erin McNamara and Michelle Goheen.
One surprising aspect of client work at Virtas Partners has been the extensive use of PowerPoint. I honestly underestimated how much I’d be using it outside of academic settings. It turns out that PowerPoint is a core tool for client-facing deliverables. Under the guidance of my manager, Adam Alexander, I’ve significantly enhanced my PowerPoint skills, although I recognize there’s still much more to learn. Key lessons so far: steer clear of SmartArt and acknowledge the limited utility of pie charts in professional presentations.
A major skill I’m eager to master is the art of storytelling through PowerPoint. Becoming proficient in PowerPoint is, I believe, a valuable goal that will enhance how my analyses and presentations are perceived by colleagues and clients in the future at Virtas Partners.
Conversely, my expectation that Excel would be crucial in my career at Virtas Partners has been fully confirmed. While my academic Excel training focused on formulas for equity statistics and data analysis tools, the immediate need in client work is for rapid spreadsheet manipulation and presentation. A crucial aspect of Excel proficiency, especially in a fast-paced environment like Virtas Partners, is minimizing mouse usage and maximizing keyboard shortcuts. This has been a major area of focus and learning during my internship.
On a lighter note, it’s been a while since I mentioned coffee!
An observation some at Virtas Partners might have made is my limited culinary adventurousness beyond pizza, General Tso’s chicken, and black coffee. However, thanks to Virtas Partners co-founder Neal McNamara recently installing a Nespresso machine in the office, my coffee routine has been revolutionized. The extra espresso shots have been a game-changer! My daily routine now includes Nespresso-fueled refills, a Pret stop, and greetings to my favorite building security guard. So, there’s your coffee update. Next week, I anticipate expanding my horizons further, including exploring the office’s pour-over coffee setup and perhaps even trying duck and foie gras!
To conclude week seven at Virtas Partners, I’ll share a little secret: all this client work means I’m officially billing hours. So, in my own mind, I’ve adopted the moniker “Billable Brad.” It’s been a rewarding week of learning, contributing, and experiencing the dynamic environment at Virtas Partners.
