When did you realise that you would like to work in the financial services sector?

At university, I studied economics with a relatively strong emphasis on finance. I think this shows that I was naturally interested in the financial industry, and then participating in various workshops hosted by banks and consultancies helped develop my interest and deepen my understanding of financial services in general. And to be honest, working in London, one of the world’s financial capitals, is almost a natural progression of my degree as I try to break into the industry. In this city, you could work in almost any branch of the financial services that you’d like, be it for example a clearing house, a bank or an international central securities depository like Clearstream. 

How and when did you join Deutsche Börse?

I started as an intern working in sales and relationship management for our custody services at Clearsteam for six months. Afterwards, I was hired by the company and joined the Global Securities Financing division, as it was then known, and worked there in the sales and relationship management section in London, covering UK, US and Nordic clients. That was my role for almost two years until our team’s mandate changed to covering all Clearstream products and services, and that’s been my job for the past year.

How was the transition? 

It was not too difficult because I’d worked in the custody division before and working with colleagues from my internship days was definitely a great experience. I think the challenge lies in getting used to the wider remit of products and services we have to cover. However, it’s also an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience as you learn an incredible amount about a wide breadth of products and services and at times you really have to think on your feet when engaging with clients. A great skill to have is to be able to think outside the box!

What is the biggest challenge in your job?

It is time management. The reality of working in this role is that you always have a pipeline of items and work to go through that far exceed your immediate availability. That means you need time management and prioritisation to ensure that the important elements are completed in a way that delivers customer satisfaction and a good client experience. The main objectives of the sales and relationship management team are to look for new opportunities as well as winning business and generating revenues. As you can see, there’s a lot to do and keep in mind so balancing existing responsibilities with new ones is by far the hardest bit of the job in my opinion. 

What’s next?

I will be starting my two-year master’s degree at the London School of Economics in October. Thankfully, Clearstream is very supportive. It’s great to see the company offering flexibility when it comes to this type of initiative where I’ll get a bit of extra time so that I can attend exams and lectures when necessary.

What advice do you have for career starters who want to get started in the financial industry?

You have to enter financial services for the right reasons. There is an enormous amount of different types of roles and sub-industries in the sector so you should keep your eyes open and keep an open mind. Make sure that you have explored the different opportunities. Finally, don’t underestimate the power of networking.