Where are they now?- Old Boys 

Where are they now? - Paarth Rathore

Which year did you graduate from Epping Boys? 

2018.

Most memorable moment from Epping Boys

My most memorable moment from Epping Boys was performing in the Year 12 Massed Choir for the school’s annual community concert. This was for our neighbours in the local nursing home next to the school. The moment was a perfect intersection of showing the camaraderie amongst our year group accumulated over the years and giving back to our local community. 

Your favourite subject in school, and why?

My favourite subject was Economics. It fascinated me how the entire subject and its complexity all serve to solve one basic problem - that human wants and needs are endless, but the resources available to satisfy them are limited. In that way, while the subject probes into broad-based concepts like fiscal / monetary policy and globalisation, these always tied back to a human-based / behavioural layer of what truly drives people’s choices. As societies and politics evolve over time, so does economics. I also liked how the subject tapped into both mathematical and argumentative reasoning.

What did you do straight after school?

After school, I studied a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney. I worked as a Mentor / Teacher at the Talent 100 campus in Epping where I tutored maths and economics to classes from Year 7 to 12. 

I travelled to over 20 countries during my university days - including living stints in Los Angeles, USA for an internship at the Santa Monica city council, and in Utrecht, The Netherlands for a study abroad.

What career have you pursued? 

I have pursued a career in investment banking. I currently work at Barrenjoey - an Australian investment bank, which in the last 5 and a half years has gone from a start-up to one of the leading investment banks in the country. We advise our clients - which include large corporates and private equity funds - on corporate finance activities, including mergers and acquisitions and equity/debt capital market fundraising.

I work in the infrastructure sub-sector in particular (think airports, renewables, data centers) - it is fun to work on assets which serve everyday society and impact everyone.

Advice to current students at Epping Boys?

Never be afraid to make mistakes. Whether that be in your academics, career, travelling, whatever it might be - you’re never going to get everything perfect the first go, and it’s only through mistakes you know what works for you and what doesn’t.

Equally, don’t underestimate how much success depends on people - find the right mentors that teach you, trust you and advocate for you. We should all try to become that person for someone else eventually.

We’re on the lookout for Old Boys to feature in ‘Where are they now?’ Contact Aida Ghorayeb at aida.ghorayeb@det.nsw.edu.au for more information.