Intense weeks with warm welcome, steep learning curve and laughs – meet our interns in Cph

Check-out the first blog from the three talents, and hear about their motivation, expectations and what they’ve experienced and learned during the first couple of weeks of their internship at Nordea Markets, Large Corporates & Institutions (LC&I).

By Théodore, Ida and Karl

Théodore Zitouni (23) 

Intern in Systematic Market Making & Automation

I come from Malmö, Sweden where I have lived most of my life. I study the five year (master) engineering degree in Computer Science at Lund University (LTH, Lunds Tekniska Högskola - Faculty of Engineering). At present, I am studying my master’s specialization in machine learning. I started in 2019 and am now on my fourth year. In 2021, I started studying for a bachelor’s degree in economics alongside my engineering studies. This has helped me both broaden my skillset and learn more about the intersection between computer science and finance.

Fun fact! Not very fun but anyway - I am partly French and this internship gave me a perfect opportunity to renew my passport at the French embassy at Kongens Nytorv! :-))

Motivation to apply for the summer internship

This intersection between computer science and finance is something that caught my interest after my first couple of years at university. An interest in the quantitative side of finance – trading and research – was an opportunity I discovered around then. I applied to the finance society at Lund University (LINC), and had the opportunity to learn more about quantitative trading there.

Nordea, along with other banks and hedge funds, had shown their presence at a couple of events hosted by LINC, but I never had the opportunity to go. Nonetheless, I knew Nordea Markets worked with quantitative trading and research, so I had been looking for an internship posting. When I eventually saw it, I already knew which area of Nordea Markets I wanted to be a part of.

Also, the prospect of spending the summer in Copenhagen on the largest trading floor in the Nordics working alongside skilled and enthusiastic people here, is something that made Nordea stand out for me.

Expectations

During my time here I hope to learn more about quantitative trading and how engineering and computer science skills and solutions can be applied to financial markets. Hopefully, I will learn how to be an effective market maker utilising coding, machine learning and mathematics.

Working on the trading floor also means that I have the opportunity to see and work with many different people on different teams with varying backgrounds and responsibilities. Last but not least, I hope to enjoy the summer in Copenhagen, getting to know the other interns and my other colleagues here at Nordea Markets.

What do you look forward to the most?

I have already gotten some responsibility, and I’m eager to see what I can achieve with my skillset and all the things I learn along the way. In the best case, the outcome of my project can have a great impact and help my team with their work. It’s already exciting and hopefully there is more to come.

What have the first weeks been like?

The first two weeks have passed really fast. It’s been fun and intense, with a lot of things going on. The learning curve is steep and I was given responsibility from day one. I was very surprised to see how calm the trading floor can seem, while there are also things happening all the time – it’s a bit of a paradox. Both the team and HR have taken care of us interns every day, making us feel very welcomed and valued.

Ida Elizabeth Blegvad Mortensen (24)

Intern in Research & Risk Solutions DK

I study a Msc. in Economics at University of Copenhagen and I graduate in January 2024. I just came home from London after a six months internship with Invest in Denmark at the Danish Embassy in the UK. After this internship I will write my master’s thesis in collaboration with the Danish central bank on ECB’s unconventional monetary policy.

I applied for the internship as I have always been interested in financial markets and macroeconomics in my studies, but I have not previously worked with it in practice. I have seen the trading floors in some of the big banks before, so I was eager to get a more hands-on experience. When I saw this opportunity on LinkedIn, I knew I had to try it out and explore working in a fast-paced and vibrant environment on the biggest trading floor in Scandinavia. I also wanted to explore if I could see myself continuing with my career here after my graduation.

Expectations

I hope to get a deeper understanding about working with the financial markets and corporate clients in practice. Moreover, I hope to discover how I can utilise and develop my knowledge and analytical skills and transform it into great value for our clients. I am also excited to explore it from different perspectives, since I will rotate between Research, Risk solutions, FX sales, and Derivatives.

I look very much forward to being surrounded by smart, experienced, and dedicated colleagues every day, so I can satisfy my curiosity, ask tons of questions, and get challenged to work with things I have not tried before.

Any surprises, eye-openers during the first weeks?

The first weeks have gone by very fast. Everyone have been very welcoming and helpful to answer any questions. I started my first rotation in Research where I have contributed to writing the daily morning report on what has happened on the financial markets the previous day, and what we will look out for the coming days. Moreover, I have participated in a few meetings with clients about their FX exposure and I dived into economic data on the US in Macro bond.

After the first weeks, I have been quite surprised that it is actually not difficult to concentrate when working on the trading floor even though you are surrounded by around 380 people in one “office”.   

Karl Grahn (23)

Intern in Data Licensing

I am originally from Stockholm but moved to Copenhagen two years ago to pursue a Bachelor in Business Administration and Service Management at Copenhagen Business School.

I applied for the summer internship as I saw it as a great opportunity to get practical experience, and to get exposure to the inner workings of a large financial institution such as Nordea. Another reason for applying for an internship with Nordea Markets was the organisation’s commitment to innovation and technology.

I wanted to be part of a forward-thinking organisation which embraces the many changes that the banking industry is going through. Nordea's reputation for being at the forefront of technology in the financial industry motivated me to seek an internship with Nordea.

I heard about the internship from friends of mine, who have been interns at Nordea before and highly recommended the program to me. They spoke enthusiastically about the supportive work culture, challenging projects, and valuable learning opportunities. Their recommendation sparked my curiosity, leading me to apply for the internship.

Expectations

I expect to gain practical experience and hope to get a better understanding of financial markets, and more specifically the intricacies of using market data within the banking industry. I want to develop a deeper understanding of the data licensing process and how it contributes to the overall functioning of a financial institution. 

I look forward to meeting many experienced and knowledgeable people and to expand my understanding and knowledge of what it’s like to work at a big financial institution. I am also excited about the opportunity to work with real-world financial data, as it will enable me to apply and expand my knowledge in a practical setting.

What have the first weeks been like?

During the first weeks here at Nordea Markets, I have been introduced to the data licensing department and familiarised myself with the team's IT systems and workflows. I have already had the opportunity to participate in meetings with senior management and assist with some very exciting projects. Additionally, I have been given access to various datasets and started working on small projects related to data analysis, cleaning and data cost optimization.

Surprises and eye-openers

One of the eye-openers during my initial weeks here has been the sheer volume of data that is used, along with the complexity of the licensing of the data. Overall, these early experiences have deepened my appreciation for the role of data licensing in the financial industry and motivated me to learn more.

Stay tuned for the upcoming blog featuring their four fellow interns at the trading floor in Copenhagen - the biggest in Northern Europe. 

Meanwhile, have a look at some of the other blogs by interns enjoying their summer with us at trading floors in Sweden, Norway and Finland - check out our Markets, LC&I Meet our Talents blog.