I Want Your Job: Operations Executive at Private Equity Firm

Kerem Bolukbasi ’01, an Operations Executive at private equity firm TPG, helps to manage TPG’s more than $66 billion

Bolukbasi ’01 at work in TPG’s New York office.

in assets. That’s right, billion. With a B. Bolukbasi’s job has taken him around the world – from London to New York, Florence to Istanbul, and finally back to Charleston – and he’s learned some valuable tricks of the trade along the way. Find out more about the international business major’s journey in his I Want Your Job Q&A, below!

See more posts in the I Want Your Job series, which features Q&A sessions with recent College of Charleston graduates in exceptional positions all over the world.

Q: What is your position title and what are your responsibilities?

A: I’m an Operations Executive for TPG, one of the largest Private Equity firms in the world with more than $66 billion under management. I’m mainly responsible for building financial, planning, forecasting, and operational capabilities at TPG portfolio companies. I accomplish this by taking on various operating roles and serving as a financial and executive advisor to our clients.

Q: What are some of the accounts you’ve gotten to work on?

A: This one is hard to talk about given the sensitive nature of the investments we handle. TPG has been active in the healthcare industry given the tremendous need to provide better, less expensive, and more outcome-based healthcare. Some of the other well-known companies we’ve been associated with are Chobani yoghurts, Burger King, J.Crew, and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Bolukbasi with his wife and daughter in London.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love being exposed to multiple industries, companies and places. They all come with their unique set of challenges, like analyzing the business models developing new strategies and getting a read on the people. It can be exhausting but taking on these new challenges keeps me engaged in what I do.

Q: What did you learn at GE? How did your time there affect you professionally?

A: Quite a bit. I went through GE’s leadership program, which is incredibly demanding. I’m glad I went through it but I would never do it again! That said, the fundamental skills I gained in leadership, communication, finance and business acumen are lessons I’ll never forget. I also got exposure to a diverse set of leaders with varying styles. From that I learned what kind of leader I would, and would not, like to be.

Q: How did the College help you prepare for this position?

A: As a young Turkish immigrant, college was the time I transitioned from a teenager to a young adult. I had tremendous support around me from the faculty, swim team coaching Staff, teammates, and from Jack Tate in the business school.

I felt great responsibility towards all those people to be successful, and that kept me motivated. The most important skill I learned as a student athlete on scholarship is to balance my time effectively and focus on priorities. In college I learned that I perform best when I’m under pressure to complete and deliver many tasks.

EXPLORE: Learn more about the international business major at the College of Charleston.

Q: What advice would you give to a current student interested in working at a private equity firm?

With his wife in Turkey.

A: Don’t give up in the face of rejection. The private equity world is a very close-knit community that takes a long time to break into. You must be persistent and strategic about gaining professional experience that will set you apart.

Q: What was it like to live abroad in London?

A: London is an awesome city with unbelievable character and diversity. I lived with my wife and daughter in an apartment near the city center – within walking distance of the Natural History and British Museums and Hyde Park. We tried to soak up everything we could, the places to see, food & drinks.

I also had the opportunity to take part in long term assignments in cities like Barcelona, Florence, Istanbul, and Munich, some of which we got to enjoy as a family as well. It is always a challenge to learn the customs and language of a new country, but we made it fun, sort of like solving a puzzle.