Victor Law (Ab. 2009-13) works in real estate investments and lives in Hong Kong. A keen rugby player and surfer, Victor's fondest memories of school are with his close friends in Abraham, and the adventures in took part in across the world.
When you were at Brighton College, what did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?
Funnily enough, the ‘dream’ was vastly different from my career at the moment. Back in BC, I actually wanted to become a medical doctor and I recalled completing a few volunteering sessions down the road at the Royal Sussex County Hospital to get a taste of a medical career. Little did I know that I am currently pursuing a career in finance.
Tell us about yourself now you've grown up.
Don’t think I am ‘eligible’ to say I have grown up having finished my bachelor degree (at the London School of Economics) not too long ago in 2017! I am still in close contact with friends I made at BC and continue enjoying rugby (off the pitch) which I first picked up the game when I arrived at Brighton College in 2009. Back to answering the question, I am currently an investment associate with a focus on real estate private equity in the Asia Pacific.
What about your life now would most surprise your Brighton College teachers?
Apart from moving back from England to Hong Kong like some of my peers in BC did, I would say a big surprise to Mr Carr-Hill that I manage to place myself in a finance career having not participated in his Thursday poker club and economics classes.
What are your favourite memories of your time at school?
Countless memories were made mostly during my 4 years at the College. I would go for the 2-week Sri-Lanka service trip, the 1-week DofE Gold expedition to Morocco’s Atlas Mountain and lastly the quality time spent with the Abraham boys. Others include the ‘commute’ to New Ground for games, hours spent on the road to the away rugby games and, of course, House Song competition and Athletics Day when boarding houses tend to have 1/3 of pupils missing on the day because we had to fly home!
What advice would you give to your school-age self?
I had an amazing time at Brighton College as it accounted for 50% of my study abroad journey. But if I am to give it a crack again, I would say just enjoy yourself more with people around you and go explore more different hobbies and subjects.
What do you do as a career?
In my current company, I am a member of the Asia Real Estate Investments team and as the name suggests we invest directly in real estate within Asia across various subsector classes ranging from traditional office towers to logistics warehouses. Prior to my current role, I started my career at a real estate investment management firm as an equity analyst of the APAC team that invested in publicly listed real estate securities and I assisted with the coverage of the Hong Kong and Australia markets.
What does your work involve?
My work varies day by day, usually depending on the stage of any ‘live’ real estate transactions that the team is taking part in. Typically, it involves a fair amount of excel spreadsheets (financial modelling) and PowerPoint presentations (drafting investment memos). The work is demanding as we work around the clock and it is a true testament to someone’s ability to multitask and to execute flawlessly at speed, which I am still getting the hang of!
What are the most challenging parts of your job?
Unlike investing in other asset classes, real estate investments have a lot of human elements and also requires a good level of understanding of local market fundamentals. The ongoing COVID situation has inevitably caused a big challenge to identify and evaluate potential investment opportunities across APAC with air travels being disrupted.
What are you most proud of?
As cliché as it may sound, that moment has not arrived yet and hopefully, it will come rather soon.
What are the three objects you would take with you to a desert island?
A rugby ball, a surfboard and my DJI drone.
How would you like to be remembered?
Someone who was able to empower others coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.
