Our fourth financial sector networking event in London recently helped more Lancaster University alumni and current students to network and share insights, in support of their financial sector careers.

87 alumni and students, keen to make the most of the opportunities available within the Lancaster community, attended the annual event which took place at the Thomson Reuters building in Canary Wharf on 27 June.

For first year BSc Finance and Economics student, Charlie Apel: “Hearing from alumni who have been in my situation has given me a lot more motivation, it inspired me to know that everyone starts off as a first year student and can get to where they want to be as long as they put the work in.”

In addition to open networking and support available from LUMS Careers colleagues, attendees benefited from time in smaller groups dedicated to specialist areas of interest: Investment Banking, Investment Management, Consulting and FinTech.

In his summary remarks following these four groups’ discussions, Rory Daly, Head of LUMS Careers, noted how they had shared some very similar themes, including the following career tips:

• Follow the things that you have passion for

• Do your homework and do your analysis, so that you are well prepared

• It is okay to make mistakes; you can learn from them and move on

• Keep on going. It is expected that somebody graduating this year will have upwards of 20 jobs in the course of their career (as opposed to 4 for graduates in 1970), and these will not all be the perfect employers or experiences.

"This event goes from strength to strength thanks to the enthusiasm of our students and newer graduates, and the willingness of our more experienced alumni to share their insights and connections. It complements other developments in LUMS in this sector, including our exciting partnership with Fitch Ratings which in June, for example, saw four LUMS placement year students start at Fitch as analysts, and our innovative Women in Finance network.", Rory explains

Asked about how he had benefited from attending the event, alumnus and experienced investment manager, Alan Sippetts (BSc Management Science – Economics, 1987) commented: “I have really enjoyed coming this evening as I have met with students, with recent graduates and some longstanding graduates who have been employed in a whole range of businesses and industries. So what I’m seeing is that smart people from Lancaster are successful in a range of careers.”

Alumni attendees were from a number of Lancaster degree programmes, from graduation years 1983 through to 2018, and represented a broad range of career journeys across the sector, including roles at major financial companies such as Barclays, Credit Suisse, HSBC, JP Morgan and UBS.

The Lancaster University Alumni@London Facebook group regularly shares details of more opportunities for alumni to connect in London.