Moorfield Group Internship
05/05/22
Get the Gen partnered with the Moorfield Group in 2020 to recruit a student intern into their London-based Real Estate Investment Management business. The chosen student was Muhammed Dadu who is now an Investment Analyst for the Private Equity firm of the Qatari Royal Family and sits as an advisor on the Volunteering Matters’ Enterprise Directorate Committee Board.
We asked Muhammed to share his thoughts on his experience and how working with Moorfield has impacted his career.
Where it all began…
I was in my final year of studying Finance and Investment Banking at the University of Greenwich, on the hunt for internships or grad schemes whilst working a part-time job on the weekends. Before the internship, I had no relevant work experience in the finance, banking, or real estate sector and as somebody due to graduate into a jobs market impacted by Covid, competition for spaces was even more fierce.
My original interest in real estate was from my own personal property development experience and doing a house flip. My dad’s friend was also a real estate developer which developed my interest in the sector and the returns that can be made through opportunistic and value-added real estate investment.
Having the opportunity to do the internship would allow me to see the different processes in real estate investment (which are a lot more complex than I originally thought!!). I hoped the internship would help me to gain the relevant skills to end up working in Real Estate Private Equity in the future.
Moorfield Internship Experience
I was so excited to begin my journey with Moorfield in June 2021.
The internship allowed me to learn at my own pace but also take charge and responsibility when suitable to do so. Through rotations with different teams, I was able to experience and develop a range of relevant skills and meet lots of different people within Moorfield.
For example, my time in the Origination team allowed me to look at potential acquisitions and underwrite them using financial models. This allowed me to develop my own skills in Excel, preparing papers and reports and carrying out market research. In the Asset Management team, I was able to attend meetings with property managers and within the finance team I was involved in creating charts for investor reports.
A welcoming environment with Moorfield
The team at Moorfield is like a tight-knit family. All of whom warmly welcomed me and even as an intern I was heavily involved in meetings and encouraged to ask questions or share my point of view.
The team were always happy to help and share any insights they had. Many colleagues proactively approached me to sit down and explain more about their responsibilities and how each department plays a vital role in the success of the firm.
Relationships are key…
One of the main things I learned, is that the professional world is relationship-driven, real estate – even more so. Being able to see how new and existing relationships were built and utilised is something that still helps me in my career today.
During my studies, there was no training on relationship building and networking. The internship at Moorfield allowed me to meet and work with a variety of different people and see the importance of networking and connecting with others. This boosted my confidence in managing professional relationships and gave me the knowledge and skills needed for my future career. In my current role, being able to secure things such as off-market deals are heavily dependent on how strong your relationship with the agent is, which is something I directly learned on the internship.
Joining the Volunteering Matters’ Enterprise Directorate Committee (EDC)
As well as developing professional confidence and skills… the internship also provided me with the opportunity to join the Volunteering Matters’ Enterprise Directorate Committee (which supports Get the Gen). This gives me the opportunity to share my views and learn from other professionals.
Get the Gen helped me secure a great opportunity with Moorfield when I was a struggling student continuously receiving rejection emails. I am now able to give back and help them grow their work with other young people and employers.
Being on the EDC committee itself has taught me so much, including the impact of strategic decision-making. It has allowed me to the learn the importance of teamwork and collaboration that provide opportunities for the ideas and perspectives of people with different backgrounds and expertise to be shared and valued.
If it wasn’t for this internship…
The impact the internship had on me, and my professional life was immense!
The ‘Moorfield’ name gave my CV the boost it needed and allowed recruiters and potential employers to see the new skills I’ve gained. This resulted in a whole heap of interviews while I was at the internship (around 3 interviews per week!)
As a result of my time at Moorfield, I received multiple job offers of which I chose my current role where I’m an Investment Analyst in the Private Equity firm of the Qatari Royal Family.
If it wasn’t for the skills developed throughout this internship facilitated by Get the Gen and Moorfield, I wouldn’t have secured a career that I enjoy, in the sector I want to be in. I continue to build on the skills I learnt in my internship every day.
If you are interested in exploring how we can support your business with interns and intergenerational working, get in touch!