An intern’s first week…

My first week as an intern at DB Wood… where to start? Not your average finance internship to say the least (I’ve only made one round of tea for starters). Overviews, training, development meetings, and Investment Committee meetings, not forgetting 189 press ups and around 50km for our charity bike ride, it’s safe to say us interns have hit the ground running here.

Day One – the nervous first commute, greeted with a smile from all staff I soon realised I had nothing to worry about. Any stereotypical “hands off” internship I was warned of by friends from large banks was soon put to bed, as myself and fellow Intern Declan found ourselves in the monthly development meeting with individual projects to follow. It was in this first meeting that DB Wood’s “Centred Around You” approach was first put into practice for me, with this culture being demonstrated through every layer of DB Wood’s team. As a business-minded individual with a keen interest in finance, DB Wood’s ability to tailor their services for diverse clients is inspiring.

So day one was over, leaving with a huge buzz, (and slightly sore chest) I was excited to see what the rest of the week would bring. I arrived at my second day (and birthday) to a cake on my desk, safe to say it was a good start to the day. These themes continued, with insightful training into the Investment world. The Investment Committee meeting came around, demonstrating the tremendous level of effort and passion put into DB Wood’s six portfolios by the Committee Members to ‘protect the down-side’ whilst maintaining substantial returns.

DB Wood’s out of office events keep staff morale raised all week round, making the office a great place to be. Events include our 400km static bike ride for Beaumond House, and 5-a-side football (which promises to make for better viewing than the Euro’s).

The best part? I’m sat here half way into my second week feeling exactly the same! The highlight for me so far has been client visits, giving me the opportunity to see the Investment Committee’s rigorous research process put into practice.

All-in-all, getting to know the team and learning how DB Wood operate has made for a great week, and from Declan and myself we’d like to thank everyone for the warm welcome. I look forward to learning more about the different roles in operation and eventually specialising in my business area of best fit.

Who knows, I may even get let loose on another blog!