Andrew McCarthy
| Joined Nomura |
University |
Degree |
Position |
| July 2005 |
University of Warwick |
Economics and Politics |
Corporate Finance Group, Investment Banking |
Andrew McCarthy works in Nomura’s rapidly expanding Corporate Finance Group. He joined Nomura because he recognised that even if you’re junior and you prove you can shoulder responsibility early on, Nomura is keen to give it.
“Working in Corporate Finance is very exciting and stimulating. The job requires me to work hard and think proactively, and I enjoy working on the non-public side of the market. This often means knowing about M&A projects my clients are considering or executing before the market does. Once a deal is announced it often makes the headlines and it’s satisfying to see something you’ve contributed to in the press.
Our Corporate Finance team is relatively small compared to the bulge-bracket banks but it’s growing rapidly and since I joined my team has doubled. The growth of Nomura’s Corporate Finance business across Europe has also been fully supported and encouraged by our Japan HQ.
While Nomura may be smaller than some other names, it’s still a globally recognised brand and well respected by other investment banks, In fact, because it is smaller there are other benefits to working here. For example, I can make a greater personal contribution to the business.
No day is quite like another. Some days I’ll be in the office all day, checking emails and market developments. Other days I’ll be working on a number of live transaction projects or perhaps doing origination work. This could involve writing presentations, preparing financial models or analysis, attending client meetings, working with other company advisers (such as lawyers and accountants) or discussing origination ideas, the market, or industry developments with colleagues.
The job is challenging – both the workload and intellectually but you have a real opportunity to make a difference when you’re preparing advice and guidance for clients – and more so at Nomura than bigger investment banks, especially if you’re junior. The hours can be long sometimes, but it’s about doing what’s necessary to get the job done.
In the next five years I’m aiming to further develop my skills and knowledge in Corporate Finance – both in terms of client relationships and the advice I give them. At some point in the future, I’d like to work in another country.
My advice to graduates who join Nomura? Well, you’ll need to be comfortable with numbers and have a general interest in the corporate world and business. Plus, it’s important you get on with the people you work with as you’ll be spending a lot of time with them. And of course, be prepared to work hard, especially for the first few years!”
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