Man Group PLC

Education: University of Syracuse, BSc in Business Studies
Graduated: May 2008
Job Title: Graduate
Current Business Area: Product Management
Location: London
Hobbies & Interests: Travelling, experiencing different cultures, skiing, swimming, shopping, socialising and cooking for friends.

My first couple of months were spent in Switzerland, gaining a real insight into a whole host of departments from Marketing and GRS to some of the different managers such as Pemba and RMF. I’ve now landed in London, helping teams to work more effectively together by streamlining systems and processes as far and wide as Switzerland and Chicago.

As far as my skills are concerned, I’ve really had to network hard and my presentation skills have improved no end, good news considering one of them was in front of some really senior people! I’ve also found that entrepreneurial skills are really important here – you need to be able to identify opportunities and seize them quickly, offering creative ideas and solutions to solve problems.

My professional trainer meets me weekly and organises what I need throughout the programme and I’ve also learnt to be confident, self critical and open to feedback. Everyone will take time to share their knowledge and help you improve. It’s just that sort of company.

From here, who knows! I’ll carry on rotating around the business every three to five months and then after that decide which area I want to move into. But, considering Man is big enough to offer a truly global career whilst small enough to help you achieve what you want, I know I’ll be happy wherever I end up.