M&GPrudential Women in Fund Management Insight Day Review

I attended the M&GPrudential Women in Fund Management Insight Day and found it very enjoyable due to the amount of interaction that was involved, in the various rounds of the trading exercise, along with the networking sessions. The talks were also quite varied and tackled all aspects of the firm.

They definitely placed a strong emphasis on us, in reiterating the fact that the young people of today would make up their future employees and hence impact the firm's operations and success in the long run. They also allowed us to ask questions and the employees were all very willing to give up some of their time to talk to us and welcome us.

I'd say that guidance was slightly limited in that we had a set schedule to follow and it was quite tight, meaning that there was less time to explain the purpose behind certain aspects of the trading game and how those would be applicable in real life.

I would say that it the networking in particular really helped me better understand what exactly is involved in a role in Investment Management, thereby supporting my view of wanting to go into it. Therefore, it is very helpful in guiding me towards which skills I should be currently focusing on and what else to do in the meantime in preparation.

I found it was very in-depth in the areas it felt important to focus on, such as with the trading games and the talks to complement it. However, it did not have much insight into other aspects of the business and working life, which would have been a nice extra.

Everybody was really welcoming and friendly, as well as being very supportive of our learning in that we barely know the basics of their jobs at this stage in our lives. They also allowed us to get to know each other better which definitely eased us into the event.

Considering that it was only a one day event, the firm did really try to make us as comfortable as possible and create a very favourable impression of itself. They also got employees from all over the business to talk to us, which helped us learn much more than we otherwise would have.

Talking to current employees was very useful in ascertaining what sort of tasks you would be given, as well as what the expectations on you as an employee would be like. The extent to which changes to the firm affected employees was also clear, as well as the style of communication used within the firm.

While it was helpful, it was not in-depth enough, purely due to the duration, into the culture of the firm. However, the panel that we got to talk to had all recently gone through the transition between university life and work life at M&GPrudential and that was quite insightful as to what the whole experience is like and how M&GPrudential facilitates it.

I found it extremely useful in reaffirming my thoughts of wanting to go into a career in Investment Management, as I was able to ask and understand more about the tasks involved in such a role. Furthermore, by meeting more people who work in the industry also gives a strong inkling as to what sort of skills are required.

It was a one day programme and hence did not justify reimbursement.

Yes.

I found them immensely useful and enjoyable, as it allows you to talk to people and learn about their experiences that have led them to where they are now, as well as being able to take on any tips and advice they may give. Furthermore, the diversity in the firm really shines through.

Yes, as they did mention how there were many other initiatives going on, especially to do with the movement towards more sustainable investing and caring as well about social and community goals. They also do strive for diversity in terms of the event being a gender balance initiative in itself, which was good to know.

Absolutely, it was very informative and catered to students who had very little idea about the industry to students who had quite a good knowledge base already. It was also a lot more involved and gave a much better idea of what was involved in such a role, compared to other such days.