All we want for Christmas...

What can a new Senior Fund Administrator look forward to as part of your team?

We’re a really close team with an open and friendly culture. Luxembourg is known for its multicultural workforce and we have around 15 different nationalities within our team alone. This helps bond us together even more closely, as most of us are living away from our home countries and families, so actually we become more like a big family together. What makes our team extra special in my eyes is that we all share a desire to go the extra mile to provide the very best service for our private equity clients, and can rely on each other’s support in order to deliver this. We have fun together too – whether it’s drinks and a meal after work, a treasure hunt, a trip to the Escape Rooms or a night out at the Christmas markets, our regular social events allow us to relax together and build genuine friendships across the team.

What festive fun and games do you have planned for your team this year?

Christmas is one of my favourite times at Aztec because we really take time to celebrate properly! Our decorations go up around the office at the beginning of December, and we have a competition for the best decorated team tree. There’s our team evening out at the Christmas markets, and I’m looking forward to enjoying glühwein and other sweet, festive treats and just soaking up that Christmassy atmosphere. Then there’s the Aztec Christmas party which has an aprés-ski theme this year which is pretty cool! Our senior team love to surprise us all with extra treats at Christmas too – this year we have just found out that we are all being given 27^th of December as a bonus holiday, which is amazing!

What makes Aztec a special place to work?

For me it’s the culture. There’s a unique balance between working hard and having a shared dedication to providing excellence to our clients, whilst also being very social together and just enjoying each other’s company. It’s also a brilliant place to work if you are serious about developing your career, as our training programme, delivered by the Aztec Academy, is second to none, and professional development is hugely promoted and celebrated – we even have two rounds of promotions each year. If you’re dedicated and ambitious, there are always opportunities to progress.

What’s the best part of your job?

I really enjoy managing and mentoring my team, and l get satisfaction from helping support their development and seeing them progress in their careers. That’s very rewarding for me.

How would your team describe you?

As a leader, I aim to always be there for my team whenever they need my support or advice, so I hope they would describe me as reliable and supportive. I’m also very ambitious, and never give up on a challenge!

Monica’s Christmas – Quickfire

What gets you in the festive mood?

It has to be the festive lights and the Christmas Market. The scent of oranges is also a really nostalgic Christmas smell for me and takes me back to magical childhood Christmases.

What are you hoping to find in your Christmas stocking this year (other than a Senior Fund Administrator!)?

A nice trip somewhere warm, if my husband reads this, hint hint!

Brussels Sprouts – yay or nay?

I love them!

Snow – yay or nay?

Definitely yay. I’m from Romania so we always had lots of snow. The downside is that it makes travel difficult, but I still wouldn’t be without it.

Explore our current vacancies here.

What can a new Client Relationship Manager look forward to as part of your team?

We’re a bright, energetic, motivated team with good strong personalities and a mixture of skills. Our teams are structured around clients, so relationship managers sit with their accounting and administration staff, which facilitates collaboration and enables us to deliver a superior level of service for our clients. Although my team is predominantly focused on the administration of private debt structures, our clients generally operate the same as private equity managers and, in many cases, the funds will not only provide loans to the underlying borrowers but will also take equity stakes in those businesses. Our clients are very active and are constantly fund raising and investing, and, to a large extent, our clients see us as an extension of their own teams and treat us accordingly which has led to a really friendly work environment. Our new Client Relationship Manager will have exposure to a variety of structures and jurisdictions and can expect to be involved in a range of complex transactions, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to broaden skills and experience, and with full support for training and development they can look forward to genuine career development.

What festive fun and games do you have planned for your team this year?

We’re a very social team and we hold fun team events like bowling, team meals and boat trips each quarter, with additional ad-hoc meals and activities either as a team or as part of the wider Real Assets and Private Debt team. New team members are always welcomed with a celebratory lunch too. Christmas is always special at Aztec and we have a ‘best decorated tree’ competition running right now, and are all looking forward to a team meal out at The Bar, Secret Santa and obviously the main Aztec Christmas Party, which manages to out-do itself every year!

What makes Aztec a great place to work?

We have a very special and unique working culture that is relaxed, warm and friendly. We maintain a can-do approach to challenges, and that’s a great thing to be a part of. If you’re serious about developing your career then Aztec is the perfect place to be. Our range of clients and diversity of work, combined with full support for training, means you can really fast track your development here.

Describe a career at Aztec in three words?

Fulfilling, rewarding, full of opportunity – ok that’s five!

What are the progression opportunities like?

There are great progression opportunities. Both the Jersey Private Debt team and Aztec as a whole has seen very significant growth over the past few years, and we have big plans for the future! As the business grows opportunities will naturally present themselves – in the Jersey Private Debt team, in the wider Jersey business and if anyone wishes to work in a different jurisdiction there will be opportunities for secondments and transfers too.

Liam’s Christmas – Quickfire

Favourite Christmas film?

The Santa Clause.

What gets you in the festive mood?

The music, the lights, and looking forward to relaxing and spending quality time with my family. This year all employees have been given a bonus day off on the 27 December.

What’s your favourite Christmas memory?

The year we spent Christmas waiting for my daughter to be born – she was due on the 9^th December and kept us waiting until the 27^th to make her appearance!

Who would your three fantasy Christmas Dinner guests be, and why?

Thomas Edison, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. They’re all innovators and I’d love to find out more about the thought processes involved with coming up with something completely new, and how it felt to see their idea being so successful.

Explore our current vacancies here.

What are you looking for in a Client Relationship Manager?

Our new Client Relationship Manager will ideally be someone who embodies Aztec’s core values of bright, caring, responsible, unified and passionate. They will need to be a self-starter, enjoy a challenge and be able to think “outside of the box”. They must be able to motivate, inspire and develop their own team, will have a positive, can-do attitude, and a passion for providing excellent service and exceeding expectations. Ideally, they’ll have funds experience or transferable co-sec or administration skills, but most importantly of all they will be a team player who will enjoy working in a supportive environment and be keen to make the most of the many development opportunities on offer here.

What festive fun and games do you have planned for your team this year? 

We’re a highly social team at any time of the year but Christmas is when we go all-out! We’ve got team lunches and dinners, quizzes, raffles, and the Aztec Christmas party to look forward to. Our children are not forgotten about either as there is always a Christmas party arranged for the “little Aztekkers”.  This year, we hired out Jump Jersey so all ages of children got to enjoy two hours of bouncing, climbing and Ninja-Warrioring to their hearts’ content.

What are the training and progression opportunities like?

At Aztec, our people are at the heart of everything we do and we take pride in our industry-leading staff retention rate. This is testament to our investment in people and their ongoing personal development, which is second to none. Firstly, we have the Aztec Academy, which provides training and development support to all levels, from trainee to manager to leadership. The syllabus is constantly evolving and delivers a range of training, from soft skills to technical skills, as well as training on our IT, Applications and Control Framework.  Our ‘managers’ toolkit’ is a bespoke training package that helps our managers hone their management skills, whilst also working with their peers. There is also “on the job” training delivered on an ongoing basis, overseen by frequent one to one meetings with line managers. All of this leads up to twice-yearly formal appraisals, which are held in advance of twice-yearly promotion rounds. We really do have all the tools available for you to develop and accelerate your career if you have the ambition and drive to do so.

What makes Aztec a special place to work?

In a nutshell, it all comes down to the people. There is a strong team culture, whilst also recognising we are all individuals and there is value in our differences. There is also plenty of challenge but in a safe, nurturing environment, with a “no blame” culture. So, plenty of opportunities to be the best that you can be.

What’s the best part of your job?

The great people I work with, the camaraderie, the variety and the challenge.

Michelle’s Christmas – quickfire

Favourite Christmas film?

Elf

What are you looking forward to most this holiday season?

Spending time with my little girl. She’s 15 months old so this Christmas is going to be a lot of fun!

Favourite Christmas song?

Fairytale of New York

How do you spend your Christmas Day?

Always with my family – that’s what Christmas is about for me. That, and eating too much good food!

Who would your three fantasy Christmas Dinner guests be?

Such a difficult question on exactly who to choose but for me any good dinner party needs good music and good humour. So, it would have to be Otis Redding and Prince to provide the music and then Peter Kay for the story telling!

Snow – yay or nay?

I like it in pictures but not the reality so much!

Explore our current vacancies here.

What can a new Junior Fund Accountant look forward to as part of your team?

I may be biased, but I don’t think you could wish for a better team than ours. Our backgrounds are diverse – we are five people and five different nationalities – but we couldn’t be closer as colleagues and friends. There’s a huge amount of professional expertise and experience across the team, so it’s the ideal environment for a junior to come in and learn the ropes in a supportive and welcoming environment. We all get involved in coaching and mentoring junior colleagues, and get huge satisfaction from seeing them develop and progress. As a junior they will also be supported through studying for ACCA professional qualifications, and benefit from a wide variety of technical and soft skills training from the Aztec Academy.

What festive fun and games do you have planned for your team this year?

This is a great time of year to be part of the Aztec team, as there is something happening every week. We have team and office parties, Secret Santa and a trip to the Christmas Markets planned. This time of year our office also looks very different! The office is decked in decorations, and we hold a Christmas Tree competition, with teams going head to head in a friendly contest for the best decorated tree. Our team won last year so we’re feeling the pressure this year!

What makes Aztec a great place to work?

I’ve never worked anywhere that feels quite like Aztec. The culture here really is unique, and I always say that being in the office feels more like being amongst family than work colleagues. Coming from a more corporate background, I really value this relaxed, collaborative atmosphere, and I see the benefits that it brings for the business and our clients too. The people here feel valued and you see this reflected in the way they work together, support each other and are motivated to give their best for their clients every day and really live the Aztec values.

Describe a career at Aztec in three words?

Supportive, progressive, forward-looking.

What’s the best part of your job?

Coming to work feels like being with family or friends. That’s something I haven’t experienced in other jobs and it’s very special.

Waqas’ Christmas – quickfire

What are you looking forward to most this holiday season?

Here in Luxembourg we have such a diverse blend of nationalities, cultures and religions. Our family doesn’t celebrate Christmas as a religious festival, but we do enjoy the festive season and all that goes with it. The lights, markets, food and laughter, and especially taking time to switch off from daily routine and just spend time relaxing with the people we love. It’s a special time of year.

What gets you in the festive mood?

I love the lights and the markets, and the joy you see in people’s faces at this time of year.

Favourite Christmas Cracker joke?

What says Oh Oh Oh? Santa walking backwards!

Most memorable Christmas moment?

Flying into London in December 2003 – the airport was busy and we had to wait for a landing slot. We circled for around 45 minutes at low altitude, and I was in the window seat and just had the most amazing views of London all lit up for Christmas. It was so beautiful and peaceful, and something I’ll always remember.

Brussels Sprouts – yay or nay?

Not for me!

Who would your three fantasy Christmas Dinner guests be, and why?

I’d choose my brother, sister and sister-in-law, because this time of year is all about family for me.

Snow – yay or nay?

I LOVE snow, especially around the holiday season!

Explore our current vacancies here.