How did you find out that you are interested in finance?

My interest in finance was first discovered during my adolescent years when I was very intrigued by the concept of money and personal finance. That interest further flourished when I took up a degree with specialisation in finance. I was exposed to the huge and diverse financial markets that offer countless possibilities. To further explore my interest, I took up internships during my university days and those experiences reaffirmed my desire to start a career in the finance industry. Fast forward to today, I am presented with opportunities to further explore the industry in my role as a Credit Analyst with Clearstream Banking S.A.

What does your department do?

As a Credit Analyst in the respective unit, I am in charge of credit-related matters for Deutsche Börse Group. My main tasks include conducting creditworthiness of the counterparties that we work with. As such, we run through the financials of each counterparty and provide our analysis to determine the counterparties’ creditworthiness. Through this exercise, we are also in charge of granting the credit facilities to our clients and stakeholders. Aside from that, I am also responsible for the credit operations, where we ensure the client instructions are monitored for effective and efficient settlement in accordance with our credit policy. 

How do your studies relate to your role?

As a graduate from Nanyang Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in business and a specialisation in banking and finance, my academic journey provides me with a clearer overview of what I want to do for my career. Through my coursework, I was exposed to the financial markets, particularly in the equity and credit markets. I found myself intrigued by the diverse financial markets and the financial instruments and that piqued my interest to further my career in this industry. The academic concepts that I learned during my studies have equipped me with a better knowledge in dealing with the tasks in my role.

Name three things you couldn’t survive a workday without and why?

I am a firm believer that a good sleep makes or breaks your day. Thus, in order to survive and be productive (especially on Mondays), I ensure that I have sufficient sleep the night before. This is critical to keep my mind focused on the tasks in hand. The time we look forward to most is lunch time, and so, having said that, a good meal is the second thing that I can’t survive a workday. The third thing that I couldn’t survive without on a workday is human interaction! Due to Corona virus, many of us miss social interactions. I am glad that the infrastructure in the company allows us to keep connected with our colleagues across the world, which definitely keeps us stable for this challenging period.