Quick profile
- Nationality: Romanian
- University: BA in International Business, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest. MSc in Financial Economics, Norwegian School of Management, BI, Oslo
- Position: Analyst in Asset Securitisation, Origination
- Interests: Family, climbing, hiking.
- High points: Being able to work in London is such a thrill. It is one of the world's leading financial centres and a really exciting city to be in.
- Low points: I don’t really have any lows... not that I’m not expecting some to appear around the corner. Perhaps, the time when I had to study for a qualification that was proven to be unnecessary later on, could be considered a low.
After studying Finance at university, a career in investment banking seemed the right step to take. I chose WestLB because it was a smaller European bank with very friendly people from all kinds of interesting backgrounds and it seemed like a place where I’d get more exposure, more diversity and a real possibility to grow faster. I wasn’t far from the truth!
Books like Liar’s Poker or Monkey Business (that all the finance students read), portray work in investment banks as long hours, pointless work, stress to the limit and demigod-like senior management. I must say the reality is totally different here.
You do have the challenge and the adrenaline but without the tremendous pressure. Managers are very approachable and the workload is reasonable. I know that this sounds like such a cliché but they really do care about employees here. If you have problems, they work really hard to help. I’m a very good example since I’m from Romania and I needed a work permit before joining WestLB. They sorted everything out for me and I didn’t need to worry about a thing – I sat at home waiting for my papers to arrive.
After my first year as a graduate in the Bank, that gave me exposure to different roles in different business units, I finally settled in Asset Securitisation. This was my last rotation and I guess I knew from the beginning that this department was the place I wanted to work in. Good thing that they were of the same opinion!
From my first day with them, I started to work on a project that, over time, grew into a real company with a life of its own. I was really lucky to join them when I did because in a sense, I grew up with the company. I was exposed to a myriad of situations that were not strictly related to structured finance, but to a start-up business. Whether it was accounting, legal, modelling or structuring, I just had to adapt fast and learn quickly. However, the most important thing was that I always had the support of my team.
The training days are not over when you step out of the classroom - they continue on the job. The managers are really helpful, friendly and patient enough to answer however many questions you might have. There is an unwritten rule though: no question is stupid, unless it’s asked twice!
If you make a mistake, blame is never the focus. Solving the problem and learning from what happened is what they concentrate on.
And there is life outside banking. I’m married, so I really didn’t want work taking over my whole life. I need time for my favourite things like rock climbing (OK, so far it’s an indoor wall at a leisure centre in North London, but I’ve got high ambitions); and of course sitting in front of the TV with a tub of praline ice cream. But at WestLB, that’s OK. They think real people, leading interesting lives, are better for the Bank.
The best advice that I can give to future graduates is to choose the banks you apply to wisely. You spend most of your time at work and it’s best if you can truly say that you enjoy what you’re doing and that you look forward to going to work every morning. I know I do!
Interview Alan Curson Photography David O’Driscoll
“I really didn’t want work taking over my life, I need time for my favourite things”
Laura Ailioaie