In Dubai to Go with the Flow of Finance
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In Dubai to Go with the Flow of Finance

FRANCESCA PAOLINO, BAA CHAPTER LEADER FOR THE ARABIAN PENINSULA, TALKS ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE AS AN ASSOCIATE ANALYST

Milan, New York, Dubai: Francesca Paolino has been moving across the globe following the trail of finance. She earned her degree in Finance from Bocconi in 2013 and was recently appointed leader of Arabian Peninsula Chapter of the Bocconi Alumni Association (BAA). She recounts a personal biography where determination defined her career. At twenty-eight years of age, after an internship at Monte dei Paschi in Milan and one in private wealth management on Wall Street, she lives in the hyper-modern metropolis of the Emirates, where she is Associate Analyst for Moody's Investors Service.

âžœ What’s your job about?
I am part of the Financial Institution Group (FIG). In few words, my team publishes financial and research reports on banks and financial companies, and after careful and detailed analysis we assign ratings to them. We cover the countries in the Gulf and the rest of the Middle East. In particular, I deal with Kuwait, United Emirates, and Oman.

➜ How important is it that there are still people behind the ratings and not simply algorithms?
A lot, because despite the general definition of credit rating being an index that measures the ability to repay one’s debts on a standardized scale, I believe that data interpretation and qualitative aspects are still of crucial importance in the rating process.

➜ How is it working in Dubai?
The city has an open and welcoming mindset. We are confronted with a multicultural environment that teaches you to be tolerant and to relate to people coming from very different backgrounds. My team speaks four languages ​​and each individual comes from a different continent. I am the only woman where I work, but I am fortunate enough for my office to be located in the very westernized financial district (District International Financial Center).

➜ Open and multifaceted culture. But what about the financial aspect?
Dubai's financial marketplace is one of the most reputed in the Gulf and has been growing steadily. The volume of market transactions still low compared to London or New York, but I think it's natural for a city that has only existed for 30 years. In addition, the structure of some financial institutions is still so-called plain vanilla, rather standard and tentative. In general, neighboring countries have financial markets that might be bigger, by Dubai and Abu Dhabi are still experiencing continuous growth.

➜ But in your future will there always be Dubai?
At least for three years. Then we'll see. I'd like to go back to New York, my second home.

➜ And what about BAA activities there?
We focus on networking and training, useful in a country where everyone feels welcome and comfortable, but which is still far from home. I believe that the link with the alma mater counts more than anything else on one’s curriculum: a company might let you go, but Bocconi is forever.
 
 

by Andrea Celauro
Translated by Alex Foti


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