Alum of the Month

Darshan Shetty

October 2010

London Program

March 2007 Intake

What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
I studied a Bachelor’s in Business Management from Bangalore University, Karnataka, India.

What made you apply for the Mountbatten programme?
I was working in Deutsche Bank, Bangalore for a year prior to applying for the Programme. I was always curious to understand the bigger picture of the bank's operation and experience the cultural difference across various regions by working with the onshore team. This inspired me to apply for the Programme.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
Deutsche Bank is one of the world’s largest investment banks, employing over 80,000 people and serving 14 million customers in 72 countries. With 135 years of experience it currently has a significant regional diversification and substantial revenue streams from all the major regions of the world.
Prior to applying to the Programme, I was a part of Agent Matching function in the Securities Operations department for equities working for the London main firm.

Was there anything in particular that struck you about how British business operates in comparison with your Indian experiences?
The work culture was completely different from what we have in India, but being part of a global bank, the core values of the business were kept intact. The most predominant difference I experienced during those days was the approach towards business; in offshore teams the issues were resolved on a more operational level, whereas the onshore work was done at a more business level. This was due to various reasons like knowledge gap, inadequate authority, unstable processes etc.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
Working in Securities Project Services, I had the opportunity to be a part of a project-related role and was actively involved in testing the eSpear platform - Deutsche’s major web based settlement application. Understanding the background of the system functionality was very exciting.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
The Dorset weekend where I met all the UBS and US interns for the first time during my internship was the most memorable moment of the year.

How did it feel to be part of the first group of Indian interns to do the Mountbatten Programme?
I was very excited for making it onto the Programme as I was sure that it was a great opportunity very early in life. It was a feeling of joy, pride and a sense of accomplishment to represent India and DBOI (Deutsche Bank Operations International).

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship
A year abroad working in a reputed firm in the centre of the city is the perfect mix. It provides the right combination to accomplish a lot of things, irrespective of individual aspirations such as travelling, gaining exposure, meeting people, building your professional profile etc. Never be shy to make the extra effort as time will quickly pass, and you don't want to have any regrets.

If you could change anything about your internship, what would it be?
The assignments were more generic in terms of the area of study (Managing teams/information); I would have preferred to choose a topic based on the requirement of the team and the management with the guidance of the Cambridge tutors.

What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
On completion of the internship in London I returned to Deutsche Bank, Bangalore and worked in the Stock Loan and Prime Brokerage settlements for a year. I then went to Manchester in January 2009 to do my MSc in International Banking and Finance at Salford University.

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
I am currently in Deutsche Bank, Birmingham working in the Prime Brokerage FOBO (Front Office Back Office) Reconciliations and Physical Settlements team.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
In the long term I would like to go back to India and start a service-based business operating from my home town in Mangalore. On the social front I want to facilitate my parents to travel around the world.

Is there any other information that you would like to be included?
"Seize the opportunity by the beard, for it is bald behind" - Bulgarian Proverb