Is this the most exciting financial services company to work for in Ireland now?

Dublin-based Harbourmaster Capital Management, acquired last year by Blackstone, is emerging as one of the most exciting firms to work for in the capital.

Last year, Blackstone president Tony James told reporters that Europe represented the, "most interesting opportunity [among all geographies] in the coming year.”

Much of Blackstone's European activity appears to be being funnelled through Harbourmaster. Blackstone has just acquired a large stake in Eircom. It's also acting for the Irish Bank Resolution Corp (IBRC) (formerly known as Anglo) as it gets ready to sell off its assets, and is advising Viridian on restructuring its loans.

What does it take to get a job there? This is less clear. Harbourmaster doesn't advertise any roles on its website. Nor does it specify what it looks for. However, it will almost certainly help to be a qualified accountant with experience of working with financial services clients or to have experience in either leveraged loans or structured finance. Harbourmaster managing director Alan Kerr was formerly a manager of Ernst & Young's financial services group. He's a chartered accountant and a graduate of University College Dublin.