FFP3_2021_Tommi_Miikka

FFP #3: Lots of learnings and a lot of responsibility – and fun

12-07-2021 09:00

Moving on in our blog series about the life as FFP at Nordea Markets, time has come to meet two more interns namely; Tommi, who works in the Markets Business Risk Control team, and Miikka, who's enjoying his internship in the Markets Corporate and Institutional Wealth unit. See what they've been up to!

By Tommi and Miikka

Tommi Hämäläinen

I am a MSc student at LUT University, majoring in Strategic Finance and minoring in Business Analytics. I have worked in Nordea every summer during my studies, but this is my first year in Nordea Markets. Previously, I have worked amongst Cashier Services, Contact Centre and Hire Purchase agreements at Nordea.

My job at Nordea Markets involves …

I’m working as an Assistant Controller in the Business Risk Control team. My job involves assessing investment advices and order executions which Nordea Markets’ Sales Managers perform for our customers.

Basically, I will assess that the documentation of the investment advice has been on a sufficient level and that the trade has been executed in the frameworks of MiFID II regulation.

No days are alike

I have tasks that need to be done on a daily basis, and then I also have tasks which need to be done monthly. This means that every day is quite different. It also allows flexibility to plan what I will do each day which is a great benefit. I usually start my mornings with the daily tasks, which for example includes checking trades and contacting the traders. Afterwards, I’ll move on to the monthly tasks or other projects.

Monthly tasks includes assessing investment advices more deeply, and as they are quite extensive, it can take several days to complete them as I need to be in touch with several people across Nordea. I am also participating in improving our controls which is a bigger and longer project, including some data management and analysis. I’ll try to fit this in my calendar as much as possible but there is only a limited hours on a clock. A typical day will also include meetings via Teams, sometimes several a day.

All in all, a typical day is from 9-17 but it is not fixed, so it is also possible to start the day earlier. As we have flexible hours, I can sometimes work a little bit longer and then leave a bit earlier some days – which is very beneficial on Fridays!

To sum it up, then during my two months her at Nordea Markets, I have already learned a lot, in particular about derivatives, MiFID regulations and trade monitoring. And I look forward to the next months with more learnings and more good fun with the other FFPs and colleagues.

Miikka Majava (27):

I am a Master’s student at Turku School of Economics majoring in Economics and Minoring in finance – currently writing my Master’s thesis and finalizing my studies. My previous work experience is focused on consumer sales, which has been an invaluable asset in my role here at Nordea Markets Corporate and Institutional Wealth unit.

I’m given a lot of responsibility

During my FFP trainee program I have been working at the Corporate and Institutional Wealth unit as an Investment Advisor for institutional and corporate customers. Within Nordea Markets, our team is an agile small unit of wealth managers, analysts, and assistants and due to the agility my tasks have been varied and demanding.

I have had the chance to become familiar with every aspect of holistic wealth management from the very beginning of the process to long term customer management. I have been part of preparing and delivering proposals and presentations to customers, reporting, portfolio and ESG analysis, portfolio optimization and a variety of other related routines and ad hoc tasks. All in all, I have been given a lot of responsibility, and I feel that my input is valued and that my efforts have been an integral part of our teams daily performance since the beginning.

My typical day – is not so typical

Most days I start my day at the office around 8-9am eating breakfast and having a cup of coffee at my desk while checking the market news, sifting through my emails, and creating a daily agenda. There are a lot of things to do, so it is important to prioritize everything at the beginning of the day. After the morning routines, I often take care of the most urgent matters for example answering to ad hoc requests to colleagues and customers. Before noon, I usually have some time to work on the wealth management side working on proposals, preparing materials or attending client meetings.

Friday means after work drinks

During lunch time, I have the chance to catch up with my fellow FFP colleagues or team mates. The afternoons could consist of anything from working on our team’s internal processes or attending market and product update seminars to help me stay informed about the markets. Usually, I am wrapping up my day around 5pm, but the working hours are very flexible.

However, a typical day is almost always not so typical since I have a variety of responsibilities, and I get to learn and do something new every day! And it is a great pleasure to work alongside professionals with such diverse backgrounds across the trading floor.

At the end of a ‘not so typical’ week, on Fridays, we typically head off to some after work drinks together with colleagues and fellow FFP trainees. As my FFP colleague Johan stated: There is no summer without a summer party!

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