Alexandra D.

Finance & Risk Analyst
Happy to mentor
Happy to be contacted

About me

Alexandra D.
Politics
Politics with International Relations
Undergraduate
James
2011
United Kingdom

My employment

Finance & Risk Analyst
Accenture Plc
United Kingdom
Finance and consultancy
2013

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A day in the life of a Finance & Risk Analyst in the United Kingdom

How I found out about the job

Cambridge

The recruitment process

Three stages process:
- application form;
- phone interview; and
- assessment centre.

My career history

I have published in leading academic journals published by Wiley-Blackwell, de Gruyter, de Boeck, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, etc.

Among several awards, I have been selected by Forbes in "30 under 30".

My internships included:
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Paris)
- European Parliament, Foreign Affairs and Economic and Monetary Affairs (Brussels)
- Ellington Electronics Technology Group (Hong Kong)

Courses taken since graduation

MPhil at University of Cambridge

My advice to students considering work

My advice to current students and new graduates:
1. look into the website which contains a wealth of information around the different practices, types of projects and thought leadership; and
2. think ahead of the practice you want to work in and the type of role you want.

About this sector: Consulting is a unique sector since it is extensively build on knowledge capital. This type of capital is hard to replace and therefore it will continue to be high in demand even if competition is becoming even more aggressive. I would also highlight that since "digital" is a market disruptor, consulting firms with a wealth of knowledge in the technology space will have a competitive advantage. So keep this in mind when selecting the consulting firm you want to work for.

My advice about working in my industry

Consulting is a unique sector since it is extensively build on knowledge capital. This type of capital is hard to replace and therefore it will continue to be high in demand even if competition is becoming even more aggressive. I would also highlight that since "digital" is a market disruptor, consulting firms with a wealth of knowledge in the technology space will have a competitive advantage. So keep this in mind when selecting the consulting firm you want to work for.

What I do

First and foremost I would highlight that yes, Accenture is known as being the leading company for IT-oriented projects but it also has more niche areas where the work is not only pure strategy but one can also hide away from the technological aspect.

As part of my first project at a top commodities trading client, I have been in charge of analysing the strategic impact of DFA and Benchmarks regulations on all trading entities outside of the US.

As part of my second project, I have been in charge of defining the growth strategy of the Resources Trading practice in the field of financial regulation for commodities trading clients.

Skills I use and how I developed them



Extracurricular skills:
Four skills:
- financial regulatory expert knowledge
- statistical/financial modelling;
- analytical skills; and
- communication skills.

I would say that consulting is a lot about what you want to make out of it and your set of skills is a key part of this.

What I like most

Based on my expert knowledge on financial regulatory strategy and my external engagements (i.e. expert member for FIA-ISDA MiFID II/MiFIR commodities working group; published author on financial regulation in Wiley-Blackwell; etc.), I enjoy a lot of autonomy. I work directly with a Managing Director and I am thrilled to define and implement a growth strategy for the practice in the field of financial regulatory offering for commodities trading clients.

What I like least

Accenture Plc is a big organization and I would point out this fact as a factor to consider for people who would prefer to evolve in a smaller organization as some employees may feel they are just "a number".

Next steps...

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