Area of work
Capital Markets Operations (CMO)
Studied
BA Applied Maths, Paris Dauphine, Master's in Quantitative Finance and Risk Management, Bocconi
Joined
2008
Working in
London
Coming from France, I always knew BNP Paribas were a big successful French bank, but as I progressed through my studies I gradually learned how important they are on the world stage as well. They have a global impact, including emerging markets and a growing presence in the UK and the US. I wanted to work in banking from quite a young age and interviewed at two other large investment banks before choosing BNP Paribas. When I took into account the credit crisis, and how BNPP are managing it, it put them overwhelmingly above the others for me.
I did an internship at Société Générale three or four years ago and then another one in the summer of 2007 in China at Natixis, but both of these were in Corporate Finance and I didn't find them the right fit for me. To me, it seems like many Corporate Finance work deals don't require as high a level of technical ability as some other parts of the bank. Because I've done some very technical degrees, I really wanted to make sure that I was able to use this knowledge in my career, that I had the opportunity to be innovative and work on very technical, quantitative products.
After doing some research and looking at the different areas of investment banking that were available, I thought Capital Markets Operations (CMO) would be more aligned with my skill set, my practical training and my expectations. CMO is the backbone of the whole of Capital Markets. When you work here you get to see and learn about all the different areas and divisions within the bank, you're able to learn more because you're getting a holistic view of things.
From what I've seen of BNP Paribas so far, and the people I've talked to, there seems to be a great ethos of collaborative work here, no matter which part of the bank you're in or how long you've been here. I'm hoping that in a couple of years' time I might be able to take advantage of the global network and transfer to another hub of finance; maybe Asia, or New York. I'll definitely stay in Capital Markets though, and as I keep learning and my career progresses, maybe look to move to structuring.
