Career

A Day in the Life of Mike Hawkins, Analyst in New York

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

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Tell us about your role and responsibilities at Slate Asset Management.

As an Analyst working on Slate’s private credit business, I am responsible for supporting our originators across the US with sourcing and underwriting new debt investments, as well as managing our existing loan portfolio. I joined Slate in 2022 as a member of the inaugural Analyst Rotation Program in Chicago and have had the opportunity to work across a number of the firm’s business verticals. The Program has provided me with a holistic view of the company and deepened my understanding of the industry, setting me up for success as I continue to grow my career with Slate.

6:30 AM

Wake up and workout – I am currently training for The Marine Corps Marathon taking place in Washington, DC this fall, so every morning starts with a run along New York’s scenic West Side Highway.

8:00 AM

Head into the office and settle in with a coffee. I like to start my workday by reading the news – Morning Brew is my go-to for a quick overview of global news and I read Bisnow to catch up on real estate news.

8:30 AM

I prioritize completing tasks that need to get back to managers and deal leads before the day is consumed with meetings. This gives our originators time to review my work and discuss next steps within the same day.

10:30 AM

Attend meetings to discuss our current deal pipeline and asset management updates from the credit team. This keeps everyone up to date on the latest activity in our portfolio.

12:30 PM

Lunch break – I typically meal prep my lunch at home, but if I need to grab something quickly, I head to Hutch + Waldo in our building for a Chicken BLT or I’ll make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with banana in the office, a staple that’s stuck with me since grade school.

1:00 PM

Log new market deals in Slate’s internal deal-tracking and asset management software. If there is a particularly interesting deal, I will flag it to our deal leads to discuss the underwriting approach and build out a model to analyze the opportunity further.

6:00 PM

Connect with industry friends at a networking event in the city. As a young professional who’s newer to the industry and the city, this has been a great way for me to build relationships and learn from others in similar roles.

How has your career evolved since you joined Slate?

The Analyst Rotation Program is what drew me to Slate – it was an incredible opportunity to immerse myself in Slate’s business while building relationships across the firm. I started my rotation in asset management for Slate Grocery REIT, then transitioned to the North American equity investments team with a focus on value-add acquisitions, before landing in my permanent position on the credit team. I think the experience I gained underwriting and investing on both the debt and equity side of the business, coupled with the soft skills I learned during different rotations has made me a more well-rounded professional.

This year, you relocated from Chicago to New York with Slate. What has the adjustment been like and how have you grown because of it?

Being from the East Coast, my move has brought me closer to friends and family, which has been helpful as I adjust to the fast-moving pace of life in New York. Professionally, it has been invaluable to work in-person with our credit team, which has a large presence in Slate’s New York office. I worked in-person with my teams throughout my first two rotations in Chicago and was able to see the importance of face-to-face collaboration; to be able to continue to do so in my final rotation with the credit team has been paramount to my personal growth.

What skills do you believe are most important in your day-to-day role?

While having strong technical skills is important, I believe that success in my role – and all roles at the firm – ultimately comes down to working hard and having a positive attitude. A key takeaway I learned from the Analyst Rotation Program was that if you can quickly adapt to different settings and assignments with an entrepreneurial growth mindset, mastering the technical skills needed for the day-to-day will follow.

How do you spend your 6pm-8pm after your 8am-6pm?

Depending on the season, you will usually find me playing in a weeknight men’s league lacrosse game in Chelsea, or basketball at my apartment’s rooftop court in Tribeca. While I do enjoy cooking dinner, I also like to try out all the new restaurants New York has to offer. My recent favorite is a Vietnamese spot called Pho Maiden Lane in Tribeca; their pho is the best I’ve had in the city so far. After dinner, I typically clean up my inbox to prepare for the next day and wind down with a good book or TV show – these days, I’m reading Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, and I just started watching Presumed Innocent on Apple TV.