Asset Risk Placement Year Review

The placement involved two six month rotations involving the Market Risk and Pricing divisions. Market Risk involved working with a team to assess the outputs of a Residual Value forecasting model - assessing the risk associated with the depreciation of vehicles within the company's fleet. Pricing involved using inputs from other departments to determine an appropriate price customers should pay at the start of their vehicle lease.

My communication skills advanced significantly during this placement, as I was given tasks such as presenting to large groups of people both in person and over zoom. Alongside this, through being engaged in Excel tasks, I was able to get to a stage where I could build models within the programme, and even begin to look into more advanced software such as Tableau.

I was given direct responsibility for sending out daily news updates to the entire company, reporting key figures to senior management, determining the advanced payments that customers would need to provide for their customers and supporting an apprentice through their personal growth and development. I was provided these opportunities because I voiced to my line manager that I wanted to take responsibility in order to build my confidence in the workplace.

The support I received from others was excellent. The entire team you work with at MO is devoted to ensuring every member can advance and contribute their full potential at work, and this is a work culture which fosters mentorship. Within both teams I was in, people would encourage me to ask for help whenever needed. I was also assigned a buddy and mentor from the start, who I could speak to about my growth and development.

The company culture is highly collaborative and inclusive. This was not just something I observed on a team level, but also on a department-wide basis. The division I worked in had monthly meetings which helped for me to understand the roles of other people and to also understand the role I played on a broader basis. I believe this helped me to feel integrated and valued within my role.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year at MO, and would recommend the role to anyone currently working on an economics degree. The work culture and devotion of other staff members to my development and progress were hugely beneficial to my continued well being during the placement.

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Make sure that you practice presenting and thinking critically, and that you can demonstrate your thoughts on a topic in a clear and concise manner. Taking some work experience or working with your university careers department on this can be very useful.