Inspiring, educational and fun – Meet Caj, FFP intern in Equity Research

In spring, we had the pleasure of welcoming yet another group of 22 talented students to join our renowned Future Finance Professional (FFP) programme in Finland. In this first blog in a FFP series, we introduce you to Caj, who works as assistant analyst in Equity Research, which involves morning reports, company analysis, client meetings and IPOs and more. 

Meet Caj Toppari and hear about his job in Equity Research in Investment Banking, and learn what makes his FFP traineeship so inspiring and educational – and why the FFP life is such good fun. 

When the morning report is completed, I help out the senior colleagues with their work, which could include; market or company analysis, collecting and analysing data, and participating in client meetings. It’s inspiring and educational to work alongside such experienced and professional colleagues.

The Equity Research team in Finland provides analysis on listed firms, and then proceeds to give recommendations (buy, hold, sell) and analysis to support our clients, which mainly consists of large Finnish corporations and institutions. We work together alongside the Equity Sales team, which helps clients execute their trading strategies, and provide advice and ideas to our customers. 

During my tenure as FFP trainee, I have also got the opportunity to participate in IPO (initial public offering) projects, which I have found extremely interesting. Being included in projects and given responsibility from the start is, in my book, a key driver to learning fast. And I do feel like my learning curve has steepened accordingly from day one, which I have my colleagues to thank for.

Whilst I have certainly been grateful for the opportunity to learn about Equity Research in particular, I also want to point out one of the best parts of the FFP summer programme; you also get to learn a lot about the bank overall. 

Many teams on the trading floor in Helsinki have one or more FFP trainees during the summer, and as you get acquainted with the fellow trainees you learn valuable things about how one of the largest Nordic banks’ Markets trading floor functions, and what kind of roles it entails. 

In addition, the dedicated Fun Managers (prior FFP interns themselves) organise all sorts of events and get-togethers for us during the summer, which makes for a relaxed atmosphere where it’s easy to make new friends and have fun.

All in all, I am really enjoying my time here, and I can highly recommend the FFP programme. Apply if you get the chance.

/Caj