Mathilde Sergent

Graduated with a BSc in Business Administration major in Finance from HEC Paris, 2009
Currently: Analyst, French Coverage

While I was studying for my degree, I really enjoyed the courses orientated towards investment banking. Beyond number analysis, they taught me how a career in finance can give you a strong understanding of business in general. After interning at another bank in France, I applied for the Nomura Summer Analyst program within the investment banking division in London and was accepted. The challenging and exciting environment I found when I joined really attracted me to Nomura. So when I had the chance to move back to Paris and work as a full-time Analyst with the French Coverage team, I took it.

My role here is to contribute to advising French corporations and funds on various products, including strategic M&A opportunities, stake building and financing. This involves in-depth research of the markets and valuation tasks. The great thing is that I was doing all this from day one. On the day I started, I was brought a deal by my colleagues in London and I'm working on that at the moment.

What I have been the most impressed by since joining Nomura is how bright and supportive the people are; they've given me so many opportunities to learn and develop my technical competencies. I've also been able to network with colleagues across the business, which I think is key in this industry. It gives you a better idea of who does what and helps you build a strong, global network.

That's what makes Nomura a great place to start your career: because we are growing at such a fast pace, you have the opportunity to work in and with different divisions based all over the world. Personally, I hope to use my contacts in Asia to move and work with Nomura in Hong Kong or Singapore at some point in my career. This level of flexibility and mobility isn't something you would find anywhere else.