Women's Immersion Programme Review

I very much enjoyed this programme at Nomura. It is a great way for aspiring female bankers to break into the finance sector, which still has clear obstacles in the way. I learnt a lot during these two weeks and developed many new skills, as well as vastly developing my confidence and self-believe.

I felt extremely valued during my time at Nomura. All employees were more than happy to answer my questions and would dedicate time to allow me to shadow their work. I was given ‘real’ tasks and not just work to pass the time. My team were extremely welcoming and see genuinely interested in my development.

I felt well supported throughout the process. I was allocated a mentor, who would work with me on skills such as networking and gave me lots of advice on how to break into the finance sector and succeed. My buddy was there to support me with day-to-day queries and my line manager provided guidance on how to complete tasks. My line manager set me challenging tasks designed to stretch me.

The skills are truly ones that will benefit me for life. I greatly increased in confidence and I am now more self-assured that I will be able to pursue a career in banking and finance. I vastly developed my communication and networking skills also. The more technical elements of the role will benefit my university work.

I really cannot fault the structure of the Women's Immersion programme and the organisation was flawless. Before I started at Nomura, I was provided with a detailed guide of the programmes that we would be engaging in, which allowed time for preparation. The sessions were aimed at developing our confidence and were tailored to our needs as university students.

There was a really good generally atmosphere. The office was fast paced and buzzy, which I really thrived off. I found the employees at Nomura to be friendly and welcoming- they seemed to be genuinely interested in us and asked lots of questions about where our career goals lay. I felt comfortable in asking them questions in return, even more senior members of staff.

I felt extremely well invested in and felt that the programme was focused around my personal development. Whilst at Nomura, I completed several online modules that related to investment banking, which I found to be very useful. We had a number of networking sessions, which were great for improving communication skills and confidence.

Really useful for understanding what it would be like to have a full time role.

I found the company culture at Nomura to be quite unique and the culture there really sets it apart from other investment banks. There is less emphasis on a hierarchal structure and I found senior managers and MDs to be approachable. Additional, there is more of a focus on work life balance in comparison to other banks I have interned at.

Great content!

I was paid for this programme.

There were plenty of opportunities to network and meet new people and, for me personally, this was really one of the best parts of the internship at Nomura. The HR team organised a number of formal networking sessions for us to meet employees at Nomura and there was a really beneficial questions session arranged with the graduates.

Great!

Yes, I found out about lots of activities that employees can get involved in outside of work. Nomura has strong core values and is very philanthropic in nature, and therefore, there are plenty of charity events that employees can get involved in. Furthermore, there are lots of sporting opportunities also, with a number of football and netball teams that employees can join.

I would absolutely recommend this insight to a friend. Women interested in the finance and banking sector really are in the minority, and although process has been made, male leaders still dominate investment banks. That is why I would recommend to my friends to take part in this programme as it is another step that is making banking more accessible for women.