Early on, I knew I wanted to get into banking. In university, I focused on finance courses and did several internships. Eventually, I landed a job at a German bank, doing stress testing for about three years. Then I was recruited to join the Risk Management team at Goldman Sachs. To start, I worked on managing risks for the Frankfurt legal entity, Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE (GSBE), and focussed on the uplift of the risk management framework of the entity as part of the firm’s broader Brexit program. Now, I am focussed on pan-risk topics and assessments, risk governance, and regulatory interactions.
Working for a global firm opened up my career trajectory. Goldman Sachs has an excellent reputation when it comes to the people who work here. As part of the change, Goldman was able to significantly build-out its Frankfurt entity , so I thought it would be a great opportunity to be part of that. When I joined, there were only two people on the Risk team on the ground. Now, we’ve grown to 15.
The firm’s culture is all about collaboration and support. Right from my first day, my colleagues were quick to lend their support and give guidance. Our senior leaders do a great job of giving us a broader perspective, so we know how our work fits in to the big picture. All around, it’s a very collaborative, team-oriented environment created by our highly talented people.
For the past years at the firm, I’ve been much focused on Brexit related topics. As part of my role and the broader build-out of the Frankfurt entity, I had the opportunity to work closely with teams across the firm on various topics related to risk management and different stakeholders, including our regulators. As part of the regulatory interaction, we conducted a series of workshops, largely focussed on regulatory permissions for internal capital mode ls and the design of the broader risk management framework. This effort continues as our Brexit planning progresses.
If you’re starting a career in banking, I advise you to keep an open mind. Take the time to discover what area of finance you find most interesting. One way to approach this is to do internships in several areas and with different organizations. I did three of these myself. Internships are a great way to figure out if you like the role, the people, and the environment.
Working in Frankfurt offers a unique blend of culture and nature. My work-life balance is important to me, so it’s great to live in a place where there are many things to do outside of work. As examples, I regularly play sports and do weightlifting. It’s also only a 20-minute drive to the nearby forests, where I go to run and take my dog on walks. Here, you get the best of both worlds—that big city feel without having to travel hours to get your nature fix, too.