The event brought together students and alumni seeking advice about establishing or developing careers in the financial sector, with alumni and guests who were willing to share insights from their professional experiences.

Louise Briggs, Director of Employability for Lancaster University, welcomed attendees and remarked how great it was to see so many alumni present, from a variety of leading companies in the financial sector.

The mutual interest in Financial Services created many interesting and insightful conversations during the event, helping recent graduates and current students to better understand the financial sector and career options.

All attendees were grouped within four financial sector business streams: Investment Banking, Investment Management, Consulting and FinTech. This helped to create smaller groups focussed on a particular area of interest, where attendees were able to address more specific questions to experienced alumni and guests.

Colleagues from LUMS Careers team supported the event, which also provided alumni with an opportunity for 1-1 career advice.

Paul McCormick, LUMS Financial Careers Coach, advised attendees about the support available for Lancaster students and alumni and also the value of networking: “Rather than just applying to large financial companies where there might be 200 applicants for every single place, good networking can open up opportunities where the odds are much more in your favour."

Alumni attending were from a range of graduation years, from the 1990s through to this year’s graduating students. Their careers had led them to work for a number of top employers – including HSBC, J.P. Morgan, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Barclays and KPMG – as well as for a variety of other organisations across the financial sector and also educational institutions.

“I had a fantastic time at the event. I have been a strong Lancaster ambassador since I left in 2011. I have also stayed in touch with Louise Briggs and team and it was absolutely heart-warming to see them last night. I also made some incredible connections with alumni and current students. As a LUMS Connect member, I am always available to help and offer advice and a living testament to the values of Lancaster which have opened great doors for me across my professional roles.” – Kalada Iyalla (BA Hons Management and Organisation, 2011)

We’d particularly like to thank our alumni who attended the event willing to share insights and advice, especially those attending for the second year running. This was much appreciated.

LUMS students and alumni are invited to continue making the most of the LUMS community for networking and support via our new ‘Financial Sector Network’ group on the LUMS Connect online platform. Login or register here then go to the Groups tab on the far right of the menu banner. You can search for and connect with other group members, also post updates and see photos of the event in Album.

Lancaster University has an active alumni group in London, which organises regular events. Join the group on Facebook for further details.