Why do you enjoy your job?
I work in the Capability Development team of UK Sales; my job is to support organisational development and the learning and development of our colleagues. By organisational development I mean procedures, systems, risks and controls and colleagues’ development is their professional development that helps in their career and their role.
I am a people person, very passionate about helping others and making sure everyone is good and doing well. I was very lucky to be put in this department because it is a perfect match for me. I enjoy my role not only because I can help my colleagues and therefore the organisation, but also, I am given the opportunity to bring innovation and different views to the workplace.
What is the most challenging thing about your job?
The most challenging part of my job is understanding the lingo used by my colleagues, often specialists use very technical words and acronyms that people wouldn’t understand unless they came across it before. Also, being very new to this environment it doesn’t come naturally to act professional, it isn’t something that schools teach, so it is a challenge every day to adapt my behaviour and vocabulary to the environment I am in.
How did you get into your job?
I got into this job straight from school. I moved to the UK when I was 14 which got me straight into senior year or high school, where I already had an interest for business. I decided to do a Business Foundation Apprenticeship and with some exposure to Financial Services, I realised that I was very interested in it. I worked part-time in different roles and sectors but they didn’t excite me as much as the investment industry, so during my free time I learnt more about the financial markets and practiced with my own money, to have a better understanding of the subject. This really helped me set a long-term goal and Investment20/20 provided me with the right opportunity to work at SLA while also studying towards a qualification.
What are your future aspirations?
Short term is to complete professional qualifications here at SLA and understand where I’d like to work once this experience is finished. I’d like to explore the firm as much as possible, but in the long term I would really want to be a fund analyst as I find markets exciting and fascinating.
How would you sum up your Investment20/20 experience?
Priceless. I can’t appreciate enough the opportunity given to us young people of getting our foot in the door and level up at such a young age.
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