
What degree did you study at university?
BBusSci Actuarial Science, UCT- Mphil Mathematica Finance, UCT
What is your role at RMB?
Investment Banking Graduate.
Can you tell us why you chose this career?
I appreciate the value that investment banking creates in the world. Furthermore, the job requires creative solutions and the challenges are different each day.
What’s a typical day like in your job?
My typical day depends on which team I am rotating in (since I am on a graduate rotation program). However, in my current rotation in the credit TMT team, my typical day involves conducting the necessary rating reviews, checking that the necessary covenants are met at all times and discussions with the team on how new deals can be accommodated for. Despite all of this, there’s still time for some team bonding and lighthearted conversations.
What are the some of the highlights and challenges of your role?
Highlights include learning how a leading South African bank operates and having the opportunity to make real contributions (even as a graduate). I also appreciate the effort that was put in by team members to catch me up on what the role entails.
The most challenging part was joining a company in the middle of a global pandemic. Although it is common knowledge that the whole world is affected by this, learning new faces, interacting with people and getting to know the other graduates has been hindered due to online work. Despite this, RMB has done a phenomenal job of checking in on our wellbeing and trying to accommodate for our needs.
How do you keep up to date with all the changes in your profession?
The google news app is a nice one! It curates new articles that are of interest and provides them for you each morning. Otherwise, it is important to watch the news (the Bloomberg channel on YouTube has proven very useful). Finally, you can’t go wrong by reading the economist every now and then for heads up on potentially major disruptions.
What do you enjoy doing for fun outside of the office?
I love playing hockey and spending time with my friends and family. I’ve also found that video games have helped to keep me sane during the stronger lockdown restrictions (Apex Legends anyone?).