”Very exciting and fast-paced first weeks” – Hear all about it from our interns in Oslo

Summer time means welcoming interns to our trading floors across the Nordics, including Norway where we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming five talents. They’re off to a great start. It’s full on, which means that only a few weeks into their internship, they’ve already learned a lot and also been blown away by the passionate people and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. 

Meet Emma and Anthon, who are kicking off the blog series featuring our summer interns in Norway, who rotate between various units within Large Corporates & Institutions (LC&I). They’ve worked the first two weeks in our Corporate Finance and Fixed Income divisions, respectively. Now let’s introduce them and hear about highlights, surprises and what they’ve been up to. 

Emma Benum 

Why did you apply for a summer internship at Nordea LC&I? 

What appealed to me most was the opportunity to rotate across several divisions during one internship. Few programs offer this level of variety. Joining a leading and highly recognized bank like Nordea gives me a broader understanding of how a major financial institution operates from the inside. As a student shaping my career path, I saw this as a unique chance to gain broad exposure, learn from industry experts, and better understand what I want to pursue after graduation.

What’s the first weeks been like? 

The first weeks have been very exciting and fast-paced. I have started my two first weeks with the Corporate Finance division within Investment Banking, and I have been lucky to be able to continue in this team for another two weeks. So far, I have assisted with research, preparing an Investment Memo, and handling various ad hoc tasks. Moving forward, I will spend two weeks at the Securities Finance & Structured Products Sales team, before wrapping up my final two weeks at LC&I Corporate Finance department.

The Thursday Summer Academy sessions have been a major highlight. Each session we are introduced to senior leaders and specialists from different parts of the bank, giving us a unique look behind the scenes. Afterward, we always do something social.

Anything that has surprised you? 

I have been truly surprised by how incredibly knowledgeable people are, and how genuinely passionate they are about their fields. Everyone is remarkably open, always willing to explain complex concepts, and eager to show us how they work. The environment is exceptionally helpful and collaborative, which made me feel welcome from day one.

Anthon Roka 

Why did you apply for a summer internship at Nordea Markets, LC&I? 

I’m hoping to learn more about the different areas within Nordea Markets and get some insights into what the day-today work looks like across the divisions. This will help me figure out which areas I want to pursue after finishing my master’s degree. Nordea markets stood out to me because it’s a large bank with many different opportunities. I liked the idea of doing an internship where I could get insight into the markets side of finance and seeing what the work is actually like in practice. 

What’s the first weeks been like

I’ve been working in the Fixed Income unit, and assigned to the high yield team. So far, I’ve been working on analysing potential new bond issuances and preparing pitches with my view on where the bond should be priced. Last week, I started with an infrastructure company, and this week I’m working on a debt collection company. It has been a very good learning experience, especially in understanding how bond pricing is approached in practice.

We’ve also attended the first summer academy which was held by Fixed Income and DCM. It was a good introduction to how the teams work together, especially with bond issuances and the process around bringing new issues to the market. I’ve already been working on the Fixed Income team, but it was still useful to get some more context and to see how Fixed Income and DCM fits together.

I’ve already learned a lot from seeing how different teams work in practice. I’ve had the chance to shadow people in several divisions to get a better sense of what their day-to-day work looks like. More specifically, I’ve learned a lot about the bond market, bond issuances, bond pricing and how to use Bloomberg (at least the basics).

I’ve also enjoyed getting to know the other interns and the Fixed Income team. I’ve felt very welcomed by the team, which has made it easy to ask questions and learn along the way.

Anything that has surprised you?

I’ve been surprised with how open and welcoming everyone has been. People are more than willing to take the time to explain what they do, how they work and answer questions. It also seems like everyone is genuinely enjoying their work. This has made it easy to ask questions and has given me a really positive impression of the environment.

Watch this space for the upcoming blog with Emma and Anthon's fellow interns, Hennie, Eirik and Jørgen sharing their experiences from the first week at our trading floor in Oslo.