The money raised by private equity funds in emerging markets dropped by almost a third last year – but according to one of the leading investors in the field, market-beating returns are still on offer, as long as you work for them.

Institutional investors, such as pension funds and wealth funds, invested $61 billion into private equity funds in emerging markets last year, according to data providers Preqin - a marked dip compared with the $87 billion a year recorded in 2012 and 2011. Sentiment is likely to have been hit by lower growth expectations in developing economies, coupled with a sell-off in these countries' public markets last year.