IB Career Club of the month: Finance Club

Imperial College Business School supports a variety of student-led Business School Clubs that aim to bring together both MBA and MSc students with shared interests, values, career aspirations and backgrounds. There are currently 16 different Careers Clubs at the Business School spanning a wide range of interests. The Careers Clubs provide students opportunities to expand their network, gain valuable industry insights, build links with employers.

Our fourth IB Career Club of the month is the Finance Club! Candidate Experience Manager Ollie Waite sat down with President, Varsha Danthuluri and Vice President, Kilian Rupp to discuss the clubs activities and mission statement.

Ollie: Thank you both for joining me, I'm looking forward to hearing all about the Finance Club! I've been informed you have around 280 members, so you have a pretty big audience to keep engaged! To kick us off, could you tell me what the mission statement of the Finance Club is?

Finance Club: Our statement is “Learn, Collaborate, Inspire”. Our goal is to create an environment for our members that emphasises all of the three components in our statement. It is important for us to provide students with learning opportunities outside the classroom that are built around our members’ interests. We also see our responsibility in connecting students not only with industry professionals but people from all across the business school, allowing them to network with students from different programmes and backgrounds. We do not want to judge members based on their programme of study but create an inclusive and welcoming space for students to explore options that may lay outside their expertise but within their area of interest which inspires curiosity and for them to acquire the skills they are looking for.

Ollie: Wonderful, we love the inclusivity! Great to hear that all students are welcome regardless of whether they study or have a background in Finance. Could you tell me about the activities and events you've organised over the past year?  

Finance Club: We've organised a range of events such as Know Your Tech back in February, a data analysis workshop, and Mock Stock Challenge in March which was a virtual challenge for alpha traders to try out their market strategies and trading skills. We've also held a financial modelling workshop, a fintech panel, and a mergers & acquisitions challenge. We also formed an association with other European Business Schools and got industry players involved such as Blackstone to run events with challenges and prizes.

Ollie: I love that you were able to collaborate with other Business Schools across Europe! Those events all sound great and very interactive which we like. Who makes all of these events happen, who sits on the Finance Club Committee?

Finance Club: The Finance Club Committee for the 2021-22 academic year is made up of:

President: Varsha Danthuluri (Full-Time MBA)

Vice President: Kilian Rupp (MSc Finance & Accounting)

Head of IB and Markets: Akanksha Jha (MSc Finance & Accounting)

Head of PE/VC: John Glass (Full-Time MBA)

Head of Banking: Asli Yigit Sert (MSc Finance & Accounting)

Head of Corporate Finance: Tommaso Locatelli (MSc Finance)

Head of Fintech: Can Arseven (MSc Financial Technology)

Co-Head of Communications: Ayobami Sobande (MSc Finance & Accounting)

Co-Head of Communications: Ramya Rajasekaran (MSc Investment & Wealth Management)

Head of Events: Anam Ajani (MSc Finance & Accounting)

Ollie: Sounds like a very qualified committee! What would you say is the Finance Club's proudest achievement?

Finance Club: The IB Finance Club 2021-2022 has already been able to execute many successful events, including an intercollegiate event which was the first of its kind hosted by the club. We were able to expand the network of the club amongst industry leaders as well as student communities across various universities. We were able to bring a structure to events planning and execution, ensuring a smoother transition for the future committee members of the club. Thus, as a club, we have grown leaps and bounds and have been able to build a strong foundation for future development.

Ollie: It's a great legacy you're leaving for the next committee, that's a great achievement! It's clear you are all very passionate about what you do, what have you gained from being a member of the club?

Finance Club: Bringing people from all across the Business School together is an exciting opportunity to build your own network as well. Interacting with people from such different backgrounds is an enriching opportunity. Being part of the Finance Club has also allowed us to integrate some of our own ideas and values into the Business School and its vibrant student community. It also challenged us in busy times such as exam periods to stay committed and continue to deliver excellence for our members. All of this has certainly enhanced our experience at the Business School and allowed us to learn so much more than just academic knowledge through our own programmes. We have acquired critical soft skills like time management, people management, presentations, public speaking, teamwork and much more.

Ollie: As we look towards the final couple of months of the year, do you have much more planned?

Finance Club: We have an ESG panel and Private Equity VC panel in June as well as social and networking sessions. It is also important to know that we always try to implement students’ feedback and integrate their ideas into our decision making. After all, we are trying to make this beneficial for the student community as a whole. The best way to stay up to date with what is coming next is to follow our social media channels on LinkedIn and Instagram where we continuously update and interact with everyone who has an interest in the Club.

Ollie: Good luck with those final events and enjoy them! Lastly, what would you say to a future student considering joining one of the IB Careers clubs?

Finance Club: Joining an IB Careers Club is an exciting opportunity to realise your vision for what Imperial College Business School should look like. The freedom of organising events is a challenging but highly rewarding undertaking that will certainly enhance your experience at the school. One of the greatest benefits is also to interact with people from all across the school and build your network. It also helps you enhance important soft skills and provides an opportunity to leave a legacy behind you.