Kalistan

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Miramar's Secret Weapon
Diane Acheson named new VP of M&A at Bank of Suldanor
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
February 20, 5717


Lady Diane Acheson widely thought to be "Inside Woman" for Miramar at Bank of Suldanor

Lady Diane Acheson, 29, is not a household name in Kalistan, or indeed in Terra. Daughter of the Count of Dana in Suldanor, Count Francis Acheson, the young noble enjoys the courtesy title of Countess of Dana (due to her mother's early passing last year) and holds the title Marquess of Salón Blanco, due to her close friendship with the Kalistani Royal Family, and especially her secret-not-so-secret association of the Hutorian King William XVII Steuart-Carmichael over the last year. She has also moved into a key position at the investment Bank of Suldanor, being promoted to the Vice Presidency of Mergers an Acquisitions, where she will oversee the fiduciary financial advisory department that involves corporate mergers, splits, and dissolutions.

Her close ties to House Ananto and Miramar specifically are aimed to put Miramar at the center of the major financial institution's decision making process. "Miramar is a major investor in the Bank of Suldanor," said financial report Carl Ibanez in Sulari. "Since the Bookmaking scandal was resolved, and Miramar stepped in to underwrite the bank to prevent failure, the Royal Family has been heavily invested in one of the largest investment banks in Northern Seleya. Acheson's promotion to head the Mergers and Acquisitions Department suggests that Miramar is making a move to turn Bank of Suldanor into a finance credit and advice arm of the Royal Family Inc."

Acheson herself is not a member of the Royal Family, but her father has provided House Ananto and House Alvarez investment advice for decades. "Both House Ananto and House Alvarez' financial affairs are public record by law in this Empire," said Ibanez. "But Acheson is particularly savvy with economic forecasting, and his advice over the last 40 years has been invaluable to both the Grand Duchess of Ananto and the Grand Duke of Kalistan. He and his family have subsequently become incredibly wealthy from the matter, and much of the family business was passed on to the Count's daughter when he retired from public affairs last year."

Lady Diane is no slouch herself when it comes to her financial forecasting abilities. "She's has had the opportunity to advise several blue chip corporations in the Sulari market, including MoCo, Sun Coast, and SSC. She was also the primary advisor to the Kalistani Bookmakers' Association when they were setting up the Observers' Market, helped developed several risk evaluation algorithms for the futures aspect of the Market, and was a key liaison between the Bookmakers' Association and the Bank of Suldanor, who eventually became the guarantors of moves made in the Sulari Observers' Market. In her six years plus of financial advisement for the Bank of Suldanor, she has earned more than K$37 million in commissions based on her advice, and made her clients significantly wealthier as well. And taking over Mergers and Acquisitions from the retiring George Schlitz dramatically increases both her profile and her value to her allies in Kaliburg."

Acheson got her finance degree from the University of Sulari in 5711. She completed her degree by correspondence while in National Service, and did a year of residency with the Dana financial planning firm New Prospects LLC. She then accepted a job in Financial Investment Planning at the Bank of Suldanor, where she worked her way up. She was well known by her clients by challenging their more liberal impulses, opting for more conservative, but safer investments. She also gained a reputation for always advising that investment in Artanian industries always be shorted. "To Lady Acheson, there was never a safe bet in Artania," said Ibanez. "She would advise her clients against messing with Artanian securities, and certainly against Artanian bonds, unless they were betting against them. She was right in this impulse more often than not, but it led to some people believing that her personal animosity toward Artania was affecting her financial advice."

This personal animosity led to her being reprimanded and then moved to mergers and acquisitions where she could just handle domestic (eg: non-Artanian) advisement and brokering. From there, she went on an uninterrupted string of successful work with Kalistani corporations and personally oversaw three hostile takeovers, as well as a number of more friendly mergers. Her track record recommended her to replace Schlitz, and she got major support from Miramar, AYIC, and several of her Blue Chip clients. This industry wide support for her candidacy led to an almost unanimous vote from the Board of Directors of the Bank of Suldanor to name her one of the youngest Vice Presidents in the Banks long history.

Acheson is a very serious investment banker who knows how to put deals together. But she also has a fun side: The Dana native apparently loves surfing and skating in Sulari, and does both as part of her daily exercise regimen. She frequents the skapunk scene in Dana, music she has been into since she was a pre-teen, and loves to sail her sloop in Sulari Bay. She is also quite cultured: She regularly attends the opera at the National Operahouse in Sulari, which is where she met King William of Hutori last year (they were introduced by mutual friends, and reportedly hit it off, though soon afterward, William returned to Ravens' Head and Acheson went back to work). She and the King reportedly remained friends, and Acheson even came to Eveari for a visit with the Hutorian in the Empress' new Manorhome on Ananto Estate. She was made a Marquis in late last year in honor of her friendship with the King, and in recognition of her excellent financial advice to Miramar, and at the same time, she was inducted into the Order of the Gray Smoke to allow her to discuss money matters directly with the Empress.

The Vice Presidency is the crowning achievement in a fairly short, but storied career for Lady Acheson. "Lady Acheson is a very hard worker," said Ibanez. "It is known that she keeps crazy hours, and feels that this is necessary to keep her edge. But that said, when she is off work, she is a totally different person almost: She has a great sense of humor and is a remarkably good story teller. In another life, she may have been a filmmaker."

According to those closest to the Marquess, Lady Acheson knows how to work a room, and gladhands only the right people, and yet nobody would ever think she was a schmooze, because with her, nobody ever says that they feel like she was just talking to them to make a deal. She is honest, and she is charismatic. She donates heavily to charity, proudly pays her taxes, and is a member of the Brethrenist Faith. "She's really the perfect person any client could want helping him or her make financial decisions," said Ibanez, "though some whisper that she doesn't necessarily have the bank's financial health in mind all the time: She was known to tell people to bet against the Bank of Suldanor, after letting them know that she has an obvious conflict of interest. The Bank for their part, either turned a clear blind eye to this, or it got the word from somewhere else to overlook it, though her advice to short the Bank that she worked at also contributed to her lateral move to Mergers and Acquisitions. But at least she gets marks for honesty."

it is widely believed that when Count Francis Acheson finally retires, she will be first in the consideration for his replacement as Countess of Dana in her own right. She owns her own home in Dana, and recently purchased a penthouse suite in downtown Sulari. Though her name may not be well known yet, Lady Acheson will likely only continue up in the world of High Finance in the Empire. She continues to keep Miramar as a personal financial planning client, separate from Bank operations.

@TheRepublic