‘D
6
istressed Debt: Special Situations Group,’ the slide on the projection system read. The
associate training class became radio silent. Distressed Debt was the hardest group to crack and join
in Goldman Sachs. In any year only one or two associates were offered a role in the group. Those
who made it earned the fastest promotions and the best bonuses.
Everyone had waited for this presentation.
‘Good morning, everyone,’ said the speaker on stage in a British accent. ‘I am Neel Gupta,
partner at the Special Situations Group in the Hong Kong office.’
I looked up from my desk. He was six feet tall, lean and had a muscular frame. He had high
cheekbones and a light brown complexion. He had salt-and-pepper hair, more pepper than salt,
actually. He wore a crisp white shirt, a pinstriped navy-blue suit and a matching tie.
‘I will be giving you an overview of the Distressed Debt Group, in my view the most exciting
place to be in Goldman Sachs.’
I sat next to four American girls: Maggie, Angela, Jessica and Carolyn. They looked at each
other and made he-is-so-hot gestures.
If he wasn’t a partner he could be a model in one of those ads that show distinguished men
buying expensive watches.
‘He is gorgeous,’ a girl behind me whispered.
Focus, Radhika, I told myself as he switched to the next slide.
The slide showed various stages in the life of a business. It started with the inception and
start-up stage. It went on to growth, maturity, decline and demise.
‘Angel funds, venture capital and private equity. These guys help companies that are just born
or are growing up. In clinical terms you can call them the maternity ward.’
He turned his back to us to see the slide. All the girls in the class exchanged glances with each
other. The girls from the Hong Kong office felt extra lucky to have such a hunk in their office.
Neel continued, ‘We, on the other hand, belong to the death ward. We come in when the
company has failed, when the time has come to either try something drastic or.. .’
He dramatically paused at the ‘or’ for a few seconds before he spoke again. ‘Or the time has
come to pull out the life support, or liquidate and close the company. How easy do you think that is?’
He moved around the classroom and stopped right next to me. He had great perfume on, the
kind that makes you want to go closer and smell it some more.
‘You, young lady. You think it is easy to shut down factories and fire people?’
I was gobsmacked. I didn’t expect to be asked a question in the GS training class, which had
people from around the world. What if I said something stupid? What if everyone laughed at my