THE SENIOR ANALYST
So what are your learnings from your work
experience?
Unless one is absolutely wrong for an industryone can’t relate to it at all , only then one has the
right to be upset. One should be able to perform
in all circumstances and understand all the
stakeholders involved. An ability to appreciate
the situation and put the organisational interest
and the clients’ interest over personal interest
and lifestyle is important to understand and vital
for success. So, the attitude that the organisation
adopts towards you by being flexible, open and
willing to accept you in different roles assuming
you will do well there( based on your
performance in previous roles) you should be
able to deliver that. Also important, is to be
logical – For example- I don’t drive to work. I take
the metro and realise that I am not wasting two
hours of my life everyday driving, but rather use
them to listen to music or read. It is more logical.
In your opinion what are the skills that are
required to succeed in the financial industry?
The Business schools keep building the content
part required in the financial industry- valuation,
understanding financial statements etc. but I
think that the thing that hits the bankers hard in
the industry is the due-diligence. The most
important work of a banker is the due-diligence
bit. Not only financial due-diligence but also legal,
regulatory, management due-diligence is to be
done. You need to make sure that you are doing
enough due diligence to give a fair picture of the
company. For example, when you are reading an
offer document, there are two things that
bankers are checking- First , has the investment
bank has done a proper due-diligence and
second, if there is something substantial that has
not been published, why is it so? That is where
your due-diligence comes into picture. I think that
is one skill that needs to be developed from day
Jan 2014
one. It can be developed by being up to date with
the industry. With enough happening in each
industry, if you read the research reports and the
annual statements thoroughly, they give you a lot
of insights outside the financials. So bankers need
not rely only on given information. They verify
each and every fact, and they should, as they
would offer this document throughout the world
and an investor might press charges for not
performing proper litigation.
So what advice do you give to the present
b-school students?
Talk to your seniors and other people who have
been in the finance industry for more than 4
years to get a feel whether this industry is a right
fit for you. Although, working on and sealing
deals sounds glamorous, it comes with a price on
your personal life. If you willing to work on a deal
for 6-8 months and still be passionate about it,
then you are made for it. Having sound financial
skills and understanding various financial
instruments helps. So in campus, these two
things can be done- test your passion and learn
about financial instruments. For example- If you
pick up say Economic Times or Business Standard
and you see that Fortis has allotted some nonconvertible shares to Standard Chartered Private
equity – understand what it is and what
regulations will that come under. Does it intrigue
you? That’s the question. If you read it as a
matter of fact, then you are an avid finance
reader and then there is a big difference in what
you are now and what you want to be. You can
bridge the gap in the corporate world, but if you
want to test it today, you can try it.
How do think the finance companies are coping
with the uncertain economic scenario?
The risk taking ability of all banks has gone down.
The financial institutions place the financial
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