(FFP #4) Interested in getting a head-start to a career in finance? And perhaps curious about the various trades and tasks within in Investment and Securities Advisory – to mention two of many roles and career opportunities at Nordea? Then do like Juhani and Max, join our Future Finance Professional (FFP) programme. Go for it! See why in their blog.
You can apply for our FFP 2024 programme now and no later than 22nd October.
“It’s a great experience, professionally and socially,” says Juhani, accompanied by Max who also “definitely recommends anyone who’s looking for a way to break into the world of financial markets” to join the FFP programme. Meet the two FFPs who during their traineeship worked within Investment Advisory and Securities Advisory - and gain insight to their work life as FFPs.
I’ve nearly finished my master’s degree in Finance from Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. In my studies I have emphasised investment management related courses with the aim to work with something focusing on the financial world. Attending the FFP programme as trainee at the Nordea Trading Floor in Helsinki has complemented and fulfilled my ambitions and expectations.
I work as an assistant investment advisor in the Investment Advisory team which is part of the Corporate & Institutional Wealth unit. We provide holistic investment advice to large institutional clients and our team strives to be the no. 1 trusted advisor within investment advice.
My work in general involves preparing presentation materials for client meetings, crafting investment proposals and creating analysis of client investment portfolios, for instance in regards to assessing its relative performance, ESG characteristics and allocation aspects.
Luckily for me, Nordea has state-of-the art analysis capabilities when it comes to tailoring solutions to serve our clients on a high-quality level. It feels humbling and exciting to be presented to such know-how and to work together with such very interesting, competent and motivated people.
It feels humbling and exciting to be presented to such know-how and work together with such very interesting, competent and motivated people.
Due to the client-facing nature of my work, my tasks are very diverse as we strive to support and fulfil an excess of different needs our clients may have. Maintaining customer relationships sometimes entails utilising the whole wide range of financial services Nordea has to offer. For these reasons, combined with market moves and clients’ changing needs, I often find myself working with something completely different than what I had initially planned for my day.
The FFP programme provides a broad overview of how a modern bank operates. I had no experience from the world of banking prior to my FFP internship, and virtually no clue of the different functions covered by a large corporate like Nordea. Through the internship structure, I have been able to familiarise with the different teams and what they work with – let alone the vast career opportunities Nordea offers.
Besides being able to chat about work and various tasks in a relaxed lunch environment with various FFP colleagues from diverse teams, there’s also been put great emphasis on us obtaining many fond memories in terms of fun and games as part of the FFP programme. Some of last year’s FFP trainees, now fully employed at Nordea, have been designated to the role as so-called Fun Mangers, and they have, among others, organized different social events for us FFPs throughout the summer which have made it easy for us to build meaningful friendships and a great network.
I encourage every student interested in kick-starting a career in finance to apply for the FFP programme. It’s a great experience, professionally and socially.
I’m currently pursuing my master’s degree in management at Hanken (Bsc in finance). I had worked at Nordea before joining the FFP programme, so I was already acquainted with the campus and some of the people at the Nordea trading floor.
I work as an assistant investment advisor in the securities advisory team, which is a part of the corporate and institutional wealth division. I joined the team in April, and after six months of the FFP internship, I can safely say that I have learned a lot about equity markets, stock trading in practice and more.
During a typical workday I talk with customers and private bankers, and share market information and investment ideas based on our analysts’ views as well as execute trades. I have become quite familiar with various algorithmic trading tools which allow me to obtain a more efficient execution for clients. Since there’s a lot going on, I have done a great deal of studying, and have had a few mentors throughout the summer to ensure my learning. I also completed the Nasdaq broker exam shortly after beginning my FFP traineeship.
In addition to equity trading, my other main responsibility has been to manage our structured investments advisory and internal distribution. This has allowed me to gain more insight into derivates and given me hands-on experience in how structured products are put together (bond + derivative components).
During summer, I took part in issuing new products and carried out trades. Some rather turbulent market conditions also meant exploring market opportunities, and I was also offered the opportunity to establish dialogue with our Trading unit to gain deeper understanding on interbank markets. Moreover, I have carried out ad hoc tasks such as data analysis and other project related work like organizing team events.
Looking back, I have been given a lot of responsibility right from the start which felt good. It makes good sense since responsibility comes with high standards, but it also shows that interns here are trusted and valued. Overall, all the people I’ve met here have been very nice and helpful – so there’s no need to be afraid of asking questions and reaching our for support, on the contrary.
There’s no need to be afraid of asking questions and reaching our for support, on the contrary.
On top of busy and exciting working days at the office, we’ve also enjoyed several activities outside the office and after work, such as dinners, sports and other social events organised by our FFP Fun Managers.
All in all, the FFP programme has been a great experience, and something I would definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking for a way to break into the world of financial markets – and have a great, fun time doing it.
It could be you! Apply for the FFP programme 2024 now and no later than 22nd October 2023 - apply here.
You can find information about the various roles and team descriptions here.
Nordea Markets LC&I (Large Corporates & Institutions) is the leading international capital operator and investment banking partner in the Nordic region. Let some of our student interns, graduates as well as experienced professionals explain it to you; how it works, what we do, and about the many career opportunities we can offer you.
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Future Finance Professional
Finland