Mitch Jarvis

Graduated in Finance, University Maryland, 2006 
Currently an Associate in International Equity Trade Support

I joined Lehman Brothers in 2006 and was taken over by Barclay’s in 2008. In February 2009, my desk moved over to Nomura. While the new middle office was similar in shape and form to the one at Lehman, we were still starting from scratch in many instances. This gave us the unique opportunity to use our prior knowledge and collaborate on ways to improve it, from the ground up.

My role is to handle international equities. From the moment a trade is complete, I report it to the client service group. I watch for unmatched and failing trades. I also work closely with the technology team. They listen to my ideas and I have input into the systems that they develop.

There is a lot of opportunity with a growing firm like Nomura and hard work pays off. Last August, I was promoted to Associate. I also went to Hong Kong for three weeks to help test a new system. This is normally something a more senior person would do but, because I proved my capabilities, I was able to go.

What I like best about Nomura is that we are building our identity and helping form the culture. It’s hard work, but it’s fun. You have to be an aggressive go-getter, but it’s worth it. Your managers notice your work.

Employee recognition is a really big part of Nomura. They invest time and resources in you and they don’t want to lose you. You have a real opportunity to grow your career. Even though I work in the middle office, I get a lot of face-time with the front office. I am constantly networking. I plan to continue my career here for a long time, in operations or maybe even in the front office.