Andre Voinea

Graduated with a BSc in International Business Administration, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, 2010
Current role:   Associate, Fixed Income Structured Sales

Before starting my studies, I actually wanted to become an astronaut at NASA – however I reflected on my character traits, my skills & preferences and quickly realised that physics would not be an ideal career path. I went on to study International Business Administration at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. During my studies I worked part-time at an asset manager and did two internships, before deciding on Nomura as a starting point for my career. Following my interest in financial markets, this proved to be the right decision.

The best part of my internship was definitely the people I met, both the other interns as well as the full-time professionals. It was a pleasure working with them during the day and establishing new contacts, even friendships after work. I think it is important to get to know the bank and its people before applying for any graduate scheme. The corporate culture could make a considerable impact on people.  It’s also important to know what a certain role involves – what a trader does or what salespeople do. Getting a couple of weeks of exposure could make a huge difference in one’s decision.

Having worked in global markets for over a year now, I have come to understand financial markets and its participants much better. I have established an ongoing and productive dialogue with clients and colleagues which help with occurring issues. My team has given me responsibilities early on and the chance to get direct client exposure, which has taught me a lot and has been very exciting. I’ve now established my own client coverage and I feel confident dealing with client requests and resolving them successfully.

My advice to incoming interns is this: show off your skills with confidence – but do not expect to be perfect. We all come with different strengths. Try to demonstrate what you are good at, but do not hesitate to ask about the things you do not know or feel uncomfortable with. Pretending to know something or not admitting your lack of knowledge does not benefit you and could get you into a sticky situation!