Matteo Majnoni d'Intignano

Studying MSc Finance

Why did you choose to study MSc Finance and why specifically at Imperial College Business School?

When I started working for an investment bank straight after my undergraduate degree, I realised how much I needed to enhance my technical skills. In today’s world of investment banking, it has become critical to master coding and financial modelling. The products have become so complexly structured that the ability to code on the markets is priceless. It is clear that the Business School is preparing its students to overcome this challenge.

How do you view your experience of studying at Imperial College Business School since you left?

Extremely positive. Imperial helped me find a new sector I would have never thought about before studying here. I met some incredibly smart and motivated people (both staff and students) that pushed me to give my best whatever the circumstances and it still influences me on a daily basis at my work.

How did you find living in London?

London is an amazing city. What I like the most about London is the cultural diversity and the fantastic opportunity to meet and hang out with people from all around the world. You probably do not get this anywhere else in the world, except maybe New York!

How has the programme changed you?

It made me more confident about my ability to be successful and perform day-to-day but also over the long run. I also possess more technical skills than before and this definitely helps me in my current job and has put me in a very favourable position for the future.

Can you recall a favourite memory from your time on the programme?

The day our first python programme ran without a bug. Definitely a huge relief and the reward of months of learning how to code.

Career & professional development

How has the Business School helped develop your career? 

I would never have thought about joining the FinTech industry before the Business School. I had heard about it of course, but never actually considered it. Thanks to the various modules I took in the second part of the year and the multiple speakers we had the chance to welcome in the Business School, I became more and more drawn to the industry. It became obvious to me that this was exactly what I wanted: a mix between Finance (my background) and Technology (my newly acquired skillset). It is fair to say my career changed a lot, going from the old world of investment banking to join the ‘cool kids’ of FinTech.

What did you take away from your learning experience that has been most applicable to your current role?

Hard work everyday.

How do you plan to use the skills and knowledge you gained during the programme within your career going forward?

Being in a Tech company (and industry) I use my programming skills almost every day. Something I was not even aware of before starting at the Business School. And I had no idea I would actually learn to be a proficient programmer considering I was starting a Finance Masters! 

What is your current role like?

I work within a very young team (and company): average age is probably around 26/27. It feels like we are all working for a big end-of-the year uni project.

I am a Credit Analyst, so I look at businesses seeking finance from us and I make decisions based on affordability and credit worthiness of every application. The rest of the time we work on improving and perfecting our algorithm to be able to make faster and better decisions.

What do you enjoy most about your current work and what are the main challenges that you face?

I love the team and the company I am part of. I truly believe that a great atmosphere allows employees to be even more efficient. I would say that the main challenge is being efficient every hour of the day. Working for a young company can be quite stressful as we cannot afford inefficiency and mistakes.

What is also great about working for a small company is that you’re given a lot of responsibilities really early on. I’m very proud of all the projects I undertook so far, as they have a direct impact on the day to day operation of the business.

The alumni network

In what way is remaining connected to your alumni network important to you?

Imperial gave me a lot during my year spent at the Business School. It is only fair I start giving back.

What value do you get out of your connections with the Business School and your fellow alumni?

Keeping in touch with my former classmates allows me to stay updated on other industries and opportunities that may arise. The Business School also organises different events throughout the year and I have really enjoyed attending ones relevant to my industry.

Advice for future students

What advice would you give to a prospective student considering studying the same Business School programme as you?

My advice to future students is that they should not be afraid to choose ‘out of the ordinary’ modules and should not only stick to M&A and PE/VC modules for example. These new modules were the best ones I had during my time at the Business School and allowed me to enhance my skills and broaden my career horizon as no other module could have done. This is one of the main reason I chose to come to Imperial College Business School. Regarding this particular aspect, I have not been disappointed.