About the Authors' Cooperation
The relationship of the two authors is, in fact, one of the distinguishing qualities of this book. As they say in the introduction, Jan and Muzaffar have known each other for two years, and have worked together in a mentor-mentee relationship for much of that period.
This unique background has allowed them to produce a text that combines the perspectives of a teacher and a student, making the book much more accessible to the younger generation, and an easy read, despite its dense content.
Muzaffar Khan
Muzaffar Khan has an extensive background working in hedge funds and leading investment banks (Citibank, Barclays Capital) and was a strategist for Moore Capital, one of the largest and most successful hedge funds in the world. After five successful years as an emerging market strategist, (during which time his three person team grew assets under management to $1 billion and provided positive returns every year to investors), he retired to become vice chairman of ACOPS which is an international environmental charity. At the same time he was a consultant to the Man Environmental Capital Opportunities division of Man Group Plc, a $75 billion asset management firm.
In 2007 Muzaffar successfully completed a second Master's degree at the London School of Economics in development studies (economics). His dissertation title was "Dealing with Market Failure: How carbon credits are influencing the investment behavior of capital markets and investment funds". Muzaffar is now a Principal and a Board Member of Space Energy, a company seeking to harness the power of a new source of renewable energy - space solar power.
Muzaffar has a BSc degree in Industrial and Business Economics from the LSE, and an MA in English Literature from King's College London.
LinkedIn profileJan Sramek
Jan Sramek is graduating from the the London School of Economics and about to join Goldman Sachs as an Emerging Markets trader. He previously studied Mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge before transferring into 2nd year of BSc Mathematics & Economics at the LSE to work part-time in the City of London.
Over the last five years, Jan broke the British A-level record by scoring 10 As and 3 Distinctions at A-level/S-level, was named Olympic Hope in handball and has been awarded almost £100,000 in scholarships by academic and financial institutions. He has worked or interned in trading and research at some of the world's leading investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital, UBS and Deutsche Bank) and hedge funds (Marshall Wace Asset Management and AKO Capital). Jan has been named a `wildcard entry' onto the nomination list of the Top 100 Rising Stars of European Financial Markets by Financial News, selected as One To Watch by university peers and been interviewed by CNN and several national newspapers.
Jan has founded and run four start-up businesses involved in social networking, graduate recruitment, West End night-club promotion and university admissions training. He has also founded a successful charity focusing on levelling out the playing field for applicants to Oxford and Cambridge. He is 22 years old.
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Testimonials:
Chris Howland, CEO, Mount Row Capital"Racing Towards Excellence makes essential reading for anyone stepping out into the big wide world. My only lament is that this advice was not available many moons ago when I left university!"
Previously Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
Peter Harrison, CEO HarrisonCareers.com"I wish I had read this book when I was 17, and again at 19 and again at 24! Congratulations to Jan and Muzaffar on an outstanding book. Buy it for any young person whose future you care about."
Previously Executive Director, Goldman Sachs
Hermione Way, 23, entrepreneur and journalist, named as one of Spectator Business's Stars of Tomorrow View all testimonials"This book should be mandatory reading for all students and graduates pre, during and post university."