What attracted you to the Aon Graduate Programme?

Initially I was attracted to the idea of a career in Investment Consulting as I was after a career that would combine technical mathematical problems with economic, market-focused research and client-oriented solutions. As a world leader in the industry, Aon was a natural choice.

The renowned study policy offered at Aon was also particularly appealing to me, as I was sure I wanted the opportunity to gain a professional qualification after I finished university. The study support provided at Aon was and remains second-to-none.

What have you learnt in your time at Aon?

Throughout my 18 months at Aon so far, I have learnt the importance of managing my workload at all times. It can be challenging at times, especially when studying for exams whilst trying to establish yourself in your career, but everyone at work has been very supportive. One of the best parts of working at Aon is that there are so many colleagues who have walked the same path in terms of studying for exams, who offer great advice and also understand the importance of building in time to study and to relax outside of work. I would say that Aon place great importance on the benefits of a healthy work-life balance.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I work within a specialist team at Aon called the Delegated Consulting Services team. Instead of working as advisers to pension schemes, our work is based around managing the assets of pension schemes who have delegated certain responsibilities to us, such as asset allocation, governance and investment strategy. A lot of my work revolves around monitoring the investments we have chosen to place these assets into, ensuring that target allocations to each of the asset classes are correct, and also preparing reports on performance for use at quarterly client meetings.

Typically I will also spend some time reading up on recent investment news and ideas in the financial press, or those circulated by some of our specialist teams. It is important for us to be aware of topical issues in the markets as we need to make sure our clients’ portfolios reflect what we believe to be our best investment ideas.

What have you enjoyed most about your Graduate Programme?

The most enjoyable part of the Graduate Programme for me has been the opportunity to rotate around various areas within the business, before deciding which is most suited to me as a career path. This has given me the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a variety of roles and also to work alongside numerous industry experts. This breadth of experience is highly valued within the firm, as it is something that experienced hires have often missed out on.

What’s next for you at Aon?

In the near term I will continue to study to become a qualified actuary – which I am hoping to do in the next year or two.