THE WEST IS full of misconceptions about central and eastern Europe. The first, and most common, is that eastern Europeans cannot wait to get out of their native countries to find work or benefits abroad. For financial professionals at least, this is untrue.
In fact, some of the brightest young entrepreneurs in the region, have moved back to their home countries after successful careers or educations abroad. Examples profiled here include: Alisher Djumanov of Carthill Capital in Uzbekistan; Askar Elemesov, deputy governor of the Kazakh central bank; and Adam Farkas, CEO of CIB. The brain drain is being reversed, as bankers and businessmen look to use the skills they have acquired abroad to build their own domestic businesses and help the local economies.
Secondly, the west often thinks that all the M&A activity between east and west is one way ? US and western European companies buying bargain-priced...
