Dr. Valeriy Potapov

Cooperation with students

I was teaching the module “Valuations” (bonds and equities valuation approaches) to the future accountants (2 full-time student groups and 2 evening student groups).

It is an important topic, which synthesises many finance concepts. The students were able to demonstrate their accounting knowledge (some of them pursue the chartered account designation and work for Big4 audit firms already) and tried to apply the theoretical valuation concepts to the Namibian/Southern African reality.

Impact and win-win

The accounting students could get practical insights into the valuation topic – how professional investors look at the valuation of fixed income and equities. The students contemplate careers in accounting/audit and financial services sector generally, therefore, it was useful for them to learn how a large international bank is organized and what kind of finance jobs exist, which prerequisites need to be placed to start a career in a bank.

As a part of the SME funding models panel discussion, we had a very interesting discussion with undergrads, postgraduate students and professionals working in the financial sector about the latest developments in SME sector in terms of access to financing. I was sharing my analysis on international trends (esp. rise of alternative lenders and FinTechs), while local practitioners from development and commercial banks gave their views on SME lending issues and future prospects in Namibia.

For me personally, it was very interesting to learn about the Namibian economy and the financial sector, which is one of the most developed in Africa. Discussions with the students, NUST academic staff, panellists and other professionals gave me new insights into the Namibian and Southern African businesses in general, key developments and main points, which I hope to be able to leverage in my professional life.

Personal message

NUST is a very dynamically developing university and a great partner for B360 and destination for international experts. The University has established many academic partnerships and cooperations with the business sector, which provide an invaluable boost to the career prospects of NUST graduates. My employer, Credit Suisse, is one of the international partners (through B360 Education Partnerships) and welcomes half a dozen or more high-quality NUST students for internships in Switzerland every year.

I would definitely recommend to all future international experts to choose NUST for their assignments.