Boyun, Investment Officer at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Boyun Yang has graduated in International Public Management (now International Governance and Diplomacy) - Dual Degree with Pekin University. Coming from China, he is Investment Officer at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

>What is your role and main responsibilities?

As Investment Officer at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), I cover our private sector business in South and Southeast Asia. As a multilateral development bank, AIIB serves both public and private sector clients from a developmental perspective. Our investments focus on mobilizing capital for what we call the “Infrastructure for Tomorrow” – infrastructure with sustainability at its core. 

For my role specifically, I work with our team to originate, structure, and execute transactions in selected infrastructure sectors, with an emphasize on mobilizing private capital and contributing to climate action. As investment officers, we lead project due diligence and approval processes to ensure key economic, financial, technical, and legal issues are considered and mitigants incorporated in the financing structure and legal documents. 

You can never beat the sense of accomplishment when you are able to gain the trust from your clients and help them thrive in their projects by adding your team’s diligence and value. 

How did you secure this role?

After graduation, I joined China Eximbank, one of the development finance institutions / export credit agencies of China, as a relationship manager covering international business and concessional loans. Then I moved to AIIB after several years, which is kind of a natural extension to my previous role in terms of responsibilities. 

Believe it or not, at least for me, it is not out of fashion to secure roles by clicking “Apply Now” to the openings online. Although I acknowledge the benefits of networking, the more important thing for me as an early career professional back then was to be perseverant and true to things that I am really interested in. At the end of the day, it is the commitments that guide us towards the paths that we prefer, not our connections. 

But hey, digital infrastructure makes our life so much easier nowadays – most of the times people are just one or two LinkedIn connections away. I wouldn’t shy away from having some intelligence on the roles that we are interested in by reaching out to those who might have some insights. 

What is the most fascinating and/or surprising aspect of your role?

I guess diversity is one of the most fascinating aspects of my role. As a development banker (something we call ourselves to make it sound fancy), we have the opportunity to work with diverse stakeholders, such as governments, private sector, civil society and other MDBs, to contribute to global agendas and initiatives, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, gender equality, etc. We are also fortunate to learn from different cultures and perspectives, as well as sharing knowledge and experience with colleagues from various backgrounds and disciplines. 

How did your PSIA experience help you with the role?

As young as we were, we have the good opportunity to be exploratory to our interests and skills. I am in a sense extremely lucky to have always known that development and climate finance is my core interest. When I was at PSIA, I had planned out the learning experience in the intersection where I was able to accumulate both technical and thematic knowledge that fits roles in development finance institutions. Apart from the in-class courses and learning, extra-curriculars have also benefited me quite a lot. I did an internship with Wood Mackenzie to reaffirm my interest in climate and energy, and another one with CITIC Securities to help me understand how finance should serve a social purpose too.  

The Dual degree programme has been a rewarding experience, as I got to explore the climate space from many angles through a range of courses and researches, including on international climate policies, economics, governance, security and science. It also offered us the opportunity to flexibly choose from a variety of subjects in sustainable development and international relations, which I enjoyed quite much. 

What advice would you give to others? 

I vividly recall an inspiring 90-min session we had with Kofi Annan when he delivered a passionate speech at PSIA and shared his wisdom that could serve the question’s purpose. 

He said, and I quote, that “You don’t need to be old to be responsible. You don’t need to be old to act. You don’t need to be old to lead. It is your world now, ask questions, and take actions!” That has been one of the most encouraging messages that I got at Sciences Po, and I would love to share the same with our fellows.

• More about the Master in International Governance and Diplomacy
• More about AIIB