Sahrankan Gnanasampanthan
University: University College London
Degree Subject: Economics
Whilst there are many investment banks offering insight programmes, ICAP was one of the only interdealer brokerage firms to offer such a programme. So, to my mind, it was already a unique opportunity. The programme was a chance for me to gather an insight into interdealer broking, and to decide whether their goals were closely linked with what I was looking for in a career. Interdealer broking entailed the excitement and intensity of a trading floor coupled with the advantage of not walking away with positions and risks; and if that wasn't enough, ICAP is a leader in its market.
The two most useful parts of the insight week were firstly the financial training as it helped build a concise foundation and revision of the financial industry and products. Secondly the desk exposure which was helpful in providing first hand experience of the demands of the job whilst being in a dynamic environment.
Prior to the insight programme, I was under the impression that in a busy trading floor it would be difficult to be noticed, and that I was unlikely to get a full feel for the work of a broker. But to my surprise the brokers were friendly and informative. The flat hierarchy meant that everyone was more than willing to offer you help and advice. It made the short desk exposure all the more useful.
What I enjoyed the most was the structure of the programme. Most insight programmes are a reel of speaker after speaker, but at ICAP not only were we provided useful training about the financial markets, we were also given the opportunity to get desk exposure, first hand experience of "a day in the life of a broker". Networking sessions in the evening were informal, allowing us to speak to graduates on a one-to-one basis and others on the internship programme.
My career ambition has always revolved around a client-facing role, which broking satisfies. The ability to use both my technical knowledge and interpersonal skills have been a key feature in the choice of my career, whilst having the freedom to pursuit my own interests outside of the working environment.
