George St Ledger

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Aberdeen Asset Management

Investment Specialist Distribution |

School/College Leaver

Why do you enjoy your job?

Every day is different: I think that is the cleanest definition of why I enjoy my job. Aberdeen as a whole and my team in particular are fantastic in laying down a foundation to learn skills on the job and simultaneously encourage me to attend training sessions. These can vary from internal ‘lunch & learns’ on specific areas of the firm or via external courses where Aberdeen brings in specialist people to provide training on Microsoft Excel or on something more niche like the Mercer Insight database. I personally feel that I have come a long way from when I first started in terms of skills that are applicable to my job, although I still clearly have a huge amount to learn and have barely scratched the surface all in all. This is what gives me the mental drive to keep pushing on and what also makes being a trainee in such an experienced and specialist team a key factor in my job enjoyment.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

If I was asked this within the first few weeks, I would definitely have said the language barrier and all the complicated acronyms and jargon that comes with it. However after being around any different language within a few months you find yourself using it as part of your own vocabulary. At the moment though, I enjoy all the challenges that my job brings because if I make a mistake, hopefully I learn from it and improve. I would say that the most demanding aspect of my job is staying on top of specific time deadlines. Whether it is the week end, month end or quarter end I have a whole host of individual tasks assigned to me which will keep growing as I gain more experience.

How did you get into your job?

I left college but went into work immediately after with a company I had done previous summer work for. I already knew from a young age that I wanted a career in the financial industry having done some work at the LME (London Metal Exchange). I’d been searching for a little while, via agencies and online; then I came across Aberdeen and their school leaver programme which tied in with the Investment2020 scheme. I applied for the position, got invited for an interview and within the week was offered the job. It’s something I won’t ever forget as it’s a real sense of accomplishment when you secure your first position in an industry you hope to forge a successful career in. As such, if I do go on to being as successful as I hope I can be, Investment20/20 would have laid the foundation stone for that.

What are your future aspirations?

My future aspirations right now keep changing which doesn’t worry me, although all of them revolve around this industry in one way or another. There are a few particular areas I would like to try out during the course of my career, such as hedge funds and trading. So starting my career early can only boost the amount of exposure I’ll get.

How would you sum up your Investment20/20 experience?

It is good to be surrounded by motivated people who demand more of you- it doesn’t mean you’re trying to run before you can walk but it does mean that as a trainee, experienced professionals help you achieve more.