Before coming to IÉSEG, I was working as a Risk Coordinator in one of the Top 3 stock broker companies in Colombia. With my team, we defined the risk appetite framework of the company following its business structure and strategic orientation. We also strengthened the risk management process for different portfolios managed by the company through the implementation of strategies for the controlling and monitoring of credit, liquidity and market risk of the company.

I chose IÉSEG’s Master in Finance because I was looking for a School that would allow me to develop both my technical and soft skills, and I felt in line with IÉSEG’s mission – to become a manager who inspires his colleagues and promotes creative and innovative solutions for its company.

On top of that, as a foreign student, I was excited to study in a cosmopolitan city like Paris, and in a School of Management with an excellent reputation, an international environment with classmates from different countries and fully accredited.

I decided to study a Master in Finance because the course structure has specific compulsory units that were suitable for the skills I wanted to develop for my career. In addition, many modules of the course contributed to the CFA preparation, which represented a remarkable opportunity to acquire a professional qualification that is required in all the most important financial institutions. This allowed me to be more competitive within the sector.

As an IÉSEG student, what I enjoyed the most was the opportunity to share with people with different backgrounds (both classmates and professors), because it allowed me to broaden my perspective from a cultural and professional standpoint. It helped me realize that given the natural differences we have, we also have similarities in fundaments indistinctly of the country we come from.

The courses I liked the most were Portfolio Management, Firm Valuation, Bond markets and Options, Futures and Swaps. I really benefited from most of the courses in the program: in my current position as Financial Analyst, I have to perform analysis across several areas such as investments, technical profitability and capital management to provide a clear view on the current position of the company to the top management.

Paris is an incredible city where the cultural offer is very extensive, there is always something to be done and to be seen. You can visit museums anytime, enjoy a dinner in a top restaurant or typical brasserie and attend the famous opera Garnier. The best for me, we can enjoy international events. As a tennis fan being able to attend Roland Garros and ATP Paris Masters is just amazing and unbelievable.

I will always remember the first day at IÉSEG, because for the first time I was studying abroad. Realizing that almost all my classmates were from different countries gave me more confidence, as everybody was in the same mood, with similar objectives, and I felt very welcomed by my future friends and by the faculty.

I had the great pleasure to join AXA GIE for my internship in 2019, as part of the Group Performance Management team and to continue my mission there as full time Financial Analyst within the European Markets team from 2020. Our mission is to track the performance of our entities in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, UK, Italy, and Spain, through several levels, such as selective growth, efficiency, pricing…

In a few years I would like to be part of the “Alternative Investments” department, because I find quite interesting the process to find better returns in a challenging environment, following the traditional approach but moreover acknowledging the importance of the ESG evaluation of each initiative or project, no matter if it is a start-up, SME or large company.

Be ready to live one of the most amazing experiences of your life, with good quality of financial knowledge, long hours of study and demanding assignments. At the same time, be ready to enjoy discussions with your colleagues and professors. For sure, you will never be the same after this adventure.

The atmosphere is just unique. You share your time not just with people from your program, but with everyone from other Masters and this is an advantage that enriches your experience at the School, with exchanges or discussions in the hallway or in front of the coffee machine.

Published on: June 6, 2022