FFP #6: Recap of my unforgettable internship

By Jasmin Majander

As my internship at Nordea is coming to an end, I want to sum up my experiences from the Future Finance Professional (FFP) programme, and share highlights from my job at Nordea in Helsinki.

I work in the Business Risk Control team as an Assistant Controller in Financial Risk Control (FRC). My team operates as the front office supervisory conduct risk function. During my FFP internship, I have been able to take part in controlling business risks, control development, and implementation. I have gained great insights into MiFID regulation, Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, and trade and data quality monitoring. I have also been able to develop my data management and analytical skills.

At the moment, I work alone from Helsinki as the rest of my team works from Copenhagen. Our team operates on the Nordic level which has enabled me to learn new languages while working. Working in a Nordic team has also opened great opportunities to grow as an individual and as an agile team member. I have received great support from my colleagues throughout the whole internship period which I am very grateful for.

Event #1: Summer Academy Bootcamp – interesting and eye-opening

The first FFP event was hosted by the Fun Managers in the beginning of June in connection with Summer Academy Bootcamp training event. The Summer Academy Bootcamp consisted of presentations from different internal Nordea teams for us to get an overview of the products, teams and stakeholders. We listened to interesting and eye-opening presentations with clear demonstrations on the products and how they are used in different market situations.

After the first bootcamp day, we networked with other FFPs and the Fun Managers. During the summer, the FFPs were located in different parts of the Nordea office, depending on their organisations. The trading floor was divided into two sections as a response to the COVID-19 situation.

During the summer, we also enjoyed a couple of after-works where we got to know each other better and relaxed after long days at the office. We ultimately became very good friends with everyone in the FFP crew.

Event #2: FFP networking event – fun, food and sauna

The second FFP event was held during July where we gathered to network with former FFPs. The event was packed with fun games, delicious food and relaxing sauna sessions.

Event #3: White Sand Boat

The third FFP event was hosted on the White Sand Boat by the sea. We once again got to enjoy the relaxing sauna and also a hot tub by the maritime Helsinki. And yet again, enjoyed some great food before heading to a legendary bar by the end of the evening.

Event #4: Thank you to amazing colleagues – and some advice

The FFP farewell event was held in the end of September where we gathered as FFP colleagues for the last time. We had an amazing evening getting to know each other even better through fun games and quizzes about our time as interns.

Lastly, a piece of advice to future FFPs: Keep an open mind, be ready to work hard, and be curious. It will take you far! The FFP programme is an amazing opportunity to develop your professional skills and your view of what is happening in the market. The programme gives you a chance to network and create valuable friendships with your colleagues who all have different backgrounds and versatile experience. There are a lot of different teams looking for different talents so there really is something for everyone.

And finally, I want to thank all the FFPs, the Fun Managers, our teams and supervisors for an amazing and unforgettable internship!

/Jasmin