A podcast — private markets in the GCC, minus the pitch deck

Where the desk day ends and the real story begins.

Expats working across SWFs, pensions, family offices and banks — swapping real stories about relocating, surviving the hierarchy, and yes, occasionally, how they actually pick a GP.

Formalising informal banter across private markets — one messy first draft of a show.

The pitch

Not another allocator podcast.

Most private markets media talks about capital. This one talks about the people actually moving it — the expats who packed up for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha to build careers inside sovereign wealth funds, pensions, family offices and banks.

Every episode spends most of its time on what it's actually like: the relocation, the office politics, the school run, the Ramadan calendar, the weekend flights home — and a shorter, sharper stretch on how these people actually pick GPs, size allocations and source deals.

Roughly seven parts life to three parts craft — like the show's name. Because how someone thinks about a fund manager is inseparable from how they're living their life while doing it.

Your host

[Your name]

A short two-line bio goes here — your background, your years in the region, and why you're the right person to host these conversations.

Every episode, one ratio

70% fries. 30% steak.

Same ratio, every single episode. The fries are why you'll keep listening — the steak is why you'll actually learn something.

Expat life, culture, banter — 70% Allocation, GP picks, deal talk — 30%

Life

The move

Visas, schooling, housing, spousal careers — what actually happens when you relocate to the Gulf for a finance career.

Life

Work culture

Hierarchy, wasta, the Ramadan calendar, and how decisions really get made inside SWFs, pensions and family offices.

Life

Balance & identity

Building a life across time zones and passports — family, friendship, and staying whole in a high-pressure seat.

Craft

Allocation

How GCC institutions actually think about Private Equity, Credit, Real Estate and Real Assets in the portfolio.

Craft

GP selection

What separates a manager who gets re-upped from one who doesn't — told through real due-diligence stories.

Craft

Deal & opportunity sourcing

Where opportunities actually come from in this region, and how co-investment decisions get made.

Season one

Episodes

The menu so far. Swap in real titles, guests and listen links as episodes go live.

EP 00
Trailer — why this show exists
Host introduction and what to expect from the season.
Cooking
EP 01
London to Abu Dhabi: a portfolio manager's move
A sovereign wealth fund PM on relocation, culture shock and building a new life.
Cooking
EP 02
Building a family office in the Gulf
A principal on multi-generational wealth, GP selection and life as a long-term expat.
Cooking
EP 03
Private credit's rise in the region
An investor on the asset class, the deal flow, and adjusting to life in Riyadh.
Cooking

Take part

Pull up a chair

Be a guest

Work in GCC private markets and have a story worth telling — about the move as much as the mandate? We want to hear it, over a coffee or a proper sit-down chat.

Email the team

Partner with the show

GPs, administrators and firms serving the GCC private markets ecosystem — if you'd like a seat at the table, let's talk.

Email the team