Mark Branson, CEO of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, was welcomed back to Lancaster to give a guest presentation for the launch of the City Careers event. Mark, an MSc Operational Research alumnus, gave an informative and engaging talk to the student audience, in which he shared details of his own “career of many different roles, functions and geographies”. Mark spoke with candid insight into the financial sector over the last 20 or so years, and also shared pertinent career advice. His presentation was responded to by a range of questions from the enthusiastic audience. In an interview for LUMS, Mark Branson further reflected on banking regulation and on his time at Lancaster.

In its fourth year, the 2015 City Careers event proved to be an enjoyable and beneficial experience for both the student attendees and the guest speakers. Saturday’s schedule included contributions from a range of speakers, including 6 LUMS alumni, working for organisations such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, UBS, HSBC and Deutsche Bank.

City Careers was organised by the Lancaster University Investment and Finance Society (LUIFS), with the support from LUMS’ Careers, Alumni & Employer Relations team.

LUIFS President, Paolo Bollag, remarked: “For the fourth time, our flagship event was able to have students gain vital knowledge and a clearer understanding of what they may like to do as a career in the financial sector. Getting inspired and networking with illustrious alumni paves the way for students to witness and achieve similar successes. This is what LUIFS is about.”

A detailed report of the Saturday event, along with images from the day, can be viewed on the LUIFS website.