詹姆s Puleston, EFX Quant Analyst

I have always liked maths and coding and have interests in current affairs, so I thought that banking, and in particular Global Markets, was a place in which I could bring some of those elements together. Currently I code in a number of languages, applying statistics and machine learning techniques to our systematic FX trading business, in an environment driven by politics and topical events – it’s been a great position to combine my interests in one place.

I completed two internships at Nomura, both within Global Markets. The first was rotational across GM desks and focussed on credit trading, credit structuring and an area called Client Ecosystems. I was offered a role in one of these teams following the internship but it was not quite in line with my career aspirations and interests, so I worked with the Graduate Recruitment Team to take on a second internship the following year in the AI Labs team. I now work as an EFX Quant, building algorithmic trading strategies for our Electronic Foreign Exchange business.

The experience on my team has been excellent, everyone is super friendly and knowledgeable. What stands out the most working with them is that I am treated as a complete equal to other team members even though I am (at multiple levels) more junior than they are. I’ve been given a huge amount of responsibility, leading projects which directly affect trading decisions across our global franchise, and my opinions are treated with the same amount of sincerity as those of my seniors, allowing me to influence big decisions and deliver value to the team.

My advice to incoming interns or graduates would be to focus on attention to detail. Both banks and markets are big, complex structures, and understanding the details goes a long way to help you stand out from your peers. In my world, paying attention to details means projects are delivered right the first time, allowing us to deliver immediate value to the firm and our clients. Focussing on details allows you to become a specialist – be prepared to teach yourself new skills, apply them to solve problems with a degree of perfectionist attitude, and you can quickly become a highly valued member of the team.