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Hi Annabella. Why did you want to join ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ as a graduate?

Having majored in linguistics, I had doubts about making a difference in the world of finance. ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ stood out because it was open to receiving applications from people who majored in different subjects. So, I went ahead with the application. Now I've been in the firm for 14 months and I'm always amazed by the people. They’ve really made my first professional experience an enjoyable one!

Can you tell us about some cool stuff you have worked on?

Yes! Last year, I went overseas for training and had the opportunity to work on five different projects. Most of them were application development projects for processes, like onboarding new employees and ‘Who is Who’ (our internal employee directory). Each project is supported by teams specializing in things like data repository and security – just to name a few. I was in the data repository team taking care of the storage and infrastructure. I was collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, as well as other graduates from around the world – many of whom have become friends.

Building these friendships are great when travelling abroad or visiting offices around the world. When I was in New York for a holiday, I was privileged to join my peers from Americas for their annual Christmas party!

And your biggest lesson learnt?

It's really important to be an effective communicator. With every project involving different teams and stakeholders, a great communicator needs to show empathy and respect at work. There are some amazing colleagues with those traits and I hope to be like them.

What do you do after work?

I picked up yoga in March and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. It’s made me more patient with myself when dealing with my own growth and failures.

Your words of wisdom for the new class of GTP would be?

Everything you've been taught at school – from asking questions, to being accountable and on time, these soft skills are more important than ever. Never stop practicing them just because you're done with school. Even when things don't go as planned, remember to stay positive and engaged!