Building a career in investment banking

The event, "Building your career in investment banking",  brought together a panel of alumni and friends and a crowd of interested students at The Work Foundation in London for an evening of networking and information sharing. 

Discussions were chaired by financial market specialist and graduate recruiter Paul McCormick, who has recently been engaged by Lancaster University to provide students on Accounting & Finance degrees with specialist advice on financial careers.

The speakers were Greg Tilmant from Goldman Sachs; JP Morgan's Jing Wang; Ashley Fisher from Mondrian Alpha Recruitment Solutions; Marisha Suri of Deloitte and Paul Bradley and Geoff Winchester who both work for St. James’s Place Wealth Management.

As well as sharing details about their day-to-day roles and the advantages and disadvantages of working in the various occupations represented, the speakers also gave practical advice about establishing a career in the sector (for example, making a successful application and what to put on your CV). A wealth of applicant-focussed, "behind-the-scenes" information was given by BSc Business Studies graduate, Ashley Fisher, who now works in recruitment for private equity and investment banking roles.

It is clear that the financial sector has undergone many changes in recent years. The frank and honest insights shared by the event’s speakers gave the audience a real sense of what it is like working in the sector today, including the experience of adapting to new regulation.

Attendees appreciated the opportunity to hear the personal experiences of alumni and get practical advice, as well as being able to network with the speakers and other attendees. Russell Wong E-Wen, BSc Accounting and Finance student, said the event was “very informative and will surely help with improving my network”.

Head of LUMS Careers, Alumni & Employer Relations Louise Briggs, who hosted the event, said:“We are pleased with how this event turned out. The insights that the panel were able to give are invaluable.

“As opportunities in investment banking and related careers continue to increase, this event was timely in connecting current students and alumni in Europe’s financial capital.

"Our strengths in providing talent to this sector will be further increased by our new London-based MSc Advanced Financial Analysis, which also helps students to acquire the CFA Level II qualification.”

Photos from the event are available to view on the LUMS Alumni Flickr site.

Details of future events and activities for alumni in London can be found on the Lancaster University Alumni@London Facebook page.

Our next London event – Climbing the corporate ladder - is an opportunity to hear the story of MSc Finance graduate, Eric Sim, Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank (Hong Kong) and to meet with fellow alumni, at The Work Foundation on Wednesday, 8^th July.