Adam Horridge

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Junior Portfolio Manager, Swiss Re

The reputation of Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) was the main driver behind my choice of university to study at, as the institution that a degree is from is very important for getting noticed by employers. LUMS’s reputation offered me reassurance about the quality of education I would receive.  

Studying Business Economics gave me the freedom to choose a third of my modules from other departments. This allowed me to tailor my degree to fit my interests (especially financial markets) as well as broaden my education. I enjoyed working on my dissertation - an investigation into UK house price volatility. By choosing my own topic, I was able to take complete control of the research and analysis, enabling me to arrive at novel and well-rounded conclusions. 

I was a member of both the Economics Society and Lancaster University Investment and Finance Society. I gained an understanding into wider issues and received some great career advice from their events. 

I completed a 12-month internship with GE Capital in their UK mortgage business, working as a Finance Analyst, gaining technical skills and training, and information about different careers. I had great opportunities to take ownership of different projects, and work with different areas of the business. 

My experience at Lancaster has been extremely enjoyable with lots of hard work, social activities and great memories being made. 

I secured a job at Swiss Re on their graduate scheme, based in the City of London (in the Gherkin) though the first month’s training is in Zurich. Reinsurance is a global business which requires a full understanding of international business, especially financial services. This is what a large part of my degree focused on. In particular, the modules ‘Monetary Macroeconomics’ and ‘International Business’ provided me with the base knowledge required for working with such a company.  

LUMS Careers keeps comprehensive information of internship/graduate schemes, making searching for potential employers as easy as possible. The ‘Meet the Employer’ events were also helpful for finding out specific information about the larger companies.