As an internationally oriented business school, we believe that banking goes beyond borders. Following last years’ success, FS Invest organized the second London Banking Trip to give 12 selected students the opportunity to gain valuable insights into Investment Banking Divisions of the world’s most prestigious financial institutions.
After nearly all participants arrived by Tuesday night, followed by first glimpse at the Londoner nightlife, we were all set for our first company visit on Wednesday morning. No other than Credit Suisse – one of the leading institutions in private banking and asset management, with strong expertise in investment banking – opened their doors for us. We had a very warm welcome by the recruiting manager for the Frankfurt office with some opening words on the firm and its long-lasting history of success. Later on, two Analysts joined us for a more technical and detailed Q&A session with some hints and tips for the application process, leaving us with some extremely valuable insights and a great impression of Credit Suisse.
Our next office visit at Moody’s Corporation started with an introduction from the recruitment manager through several aspects such as its history, structure and performance of the company. With a vivid panel discussion that enabled us to pose questions directly to representatives of business, we did not only gain insights into the different responsibilities of each division, but we were also exposed to the unique culture of Moody’s.
The office visit at Berenberg overall was a very informative and helpful experience. Not only did we have Mr. Quantick from HR leading us through the different internship positions and graduate programs the bank offers, but we were also given the opportunity to talk directly to two analysts currently in the program, as well as a more senior associate who explained to us the competitive advantages that Berenberg has compared to other banks.
On Friday we had the opportunity of visiting the Citi office in Canary Warf. The workshop began with a trading simulation where our market competencies were tested. Later on, we had the amazing opportunity of visiting the trading floor, where we could experience the heated environment of sales employees as well as traders engaging in the market.
NatWest Markets was our final office visit. We were introduced to their different business areas, followed by a panel discussion and the opportunity to ask questions. What made this office visit stand out was that they not only talked to us about their business but also let us work on a case study about the financing of an additional terminal for Heathrow airport, which we then presented to a number of NatWest employees.
Stay tuned for London Banking Trip 2020 later this year!