Your relationship with SICO started as a summer intern through the CPISP. What was it about your early experience here that made you want to return and start your career as an Executive Trainee?
What made returning to SICO an easy decision was the strength of the team and the firm’s culture. From the outset, it was clear that SICO places a strong emphasis on learning and professional development, investing real time and effort into ensuring that interns gain meaningful exposure to the business. One of the most distinctive aspects of the environment is the culture of continuous learning, where knowledge and experience are shared across the organization at all levels. Having the opportunity to observe experienced professionals closely, while also contributing to real work gave me genuine hands-on exposure to how the industry operates.
You are currently working with the Fixed Income Asset Management team. For those who might not be familiar with the day-to-day operations, what are your primary responsibilities and which areas of the market do you focus on most?
When I first joined the Fixed Income Asset Management team, one thing that quickly became clear was that despite the name, the role extends well beyond traditional fixed income. At its core, our job is to manage client portfolios and tailor them to each client’s objectives, which means constantly exploring new products and opportunities across the market.
My primary focus within the team is the money market function. I manage short-term instruments such as deposits, treasury bills, and repos, monitor liquidity across client portfolios, and execute placements and trades while coordinating closely with banks and counterparties.
Our team also operates in a very collaborative way and isn’t limited by strict role boundaries. This creates opportunities to gain exposure to different areas of the business, from drafting investment proposals and participating in meetings with prospective clients to sitting in on discussions with existing clients and collaborating with other departments on internal initiatives.
Moving from a university environment to a fast-paced trading floor can be a significant shift. How has the mentorship at SICO helped you navigate this transition, and what is the most important lesson you have learned so far?
Moving from a university environment to a fast-paced trading floor requires adapting quickly, and the most effective way to do that is through hands-on experience. At SICO, I was trusted with responsibility early on, which meant learning directly through the work itself. The mentorship within the team has been invaluable in that process, and senior colleagues are always willing to share their perspective and guidance, while still encouraging you to think independently and develop your own understanding of the markets.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that excelling in this environment requires going well beyond your immediate responsibilities. It’s about developing a complete understanding of the business: how different teams operate, how decisions are made, and how each function ultimately translate into outcomes for clients. That mindset of constantly expanding your knowledge beyond your own role has been one of the most valuable lessons I’ve taken away so far.
SICO is deeply involved in the regional fixed income space. From your perspective as a youngprofessional, what makes the GCC debt markets an exciting place to work right now?
The GCC debt markets are particularly interesting at this stage as they are still relatively young but developing quite rapidly. Over the past decade, we’ve seen governments and corporates across the region increasingly rely on capital markets as part of broader economic diversification and fiscal reform efforts. This has led to significant growth in bond and sukuk issuance, creating a deeper and more sophisticated regional fixed income market.
From an investment perspective, the region also offers a compelling combination of ongoing economic diversification across the region, improving fiscal frameworks, and attractive yields compared to many developed markets. While current global conditions can always create short-term volatility, the long-term structural story for GCC debt remains very strong. For someone starting their career in fixed income, it’s exciting to be part of a market that is still expanding and evolving, with plenty of room for further development.
As someone who has successfully moved from an internship to a professional role, what advice would you give to current students or scholarship recipients who are looking to break into the investment banking industry?
I’m extremely grateful to the Crown Prince International Scholarship Program for the opportunities and support they’ve given me along the way. Their role in helping students gain exposure to leading institutions has been invaluable.
If I had to offer one piece of advice, it would be to approach the industry with a strong work ethic and a genuine willingness to learn. Coming from an economics background, many aspects of the work I do today were unfamiliar to me at the beginning. What matters most is demonstrating commitment, asking thoughtful questions, and being willing to continuously build your understanding of the business.
