Alum of the Month

Amy Thomas

December 2014

London Program

August 2005 Intake

What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
I studied Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

What made you apply for the Mountbatten programme?
I had wanted to spend a year abroad during university, but it didn't work well with my major. I found out about the program after graduation and it sounded like a great way to experience working in London, as well as enhance my CV.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
I worked for UBS in Client Service Operations. The client service aspects of the role were very similar to my previous work experience at an ad agency, managing client queries and expectations, but investment banking was completely new to me. My team at UBS was fantastic, though, and always took the time to explain things. They were a great team to be a part of.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
I was tasked with organising a team building day for the team. What was great about the experience is my team leader gave me the freedom to come up with a new idea and gave me a budget to manage. I was able to organise a day out volunteering in Tower Hamlets which was a great way to give back to the community and build team relationships. We had an excellent day out as a team, painting a community centre, and it was the start of an annual volunteer event for the team.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
The trip to Paris really sticks out as one of the most memorable of the year. I had always wanted to go, and going as part of the programme allowed me to see UNESCO, which I would not have seen on my own. Also, the dinner we had with the entire group at the Sargent Recruiter was amongst the best Mountbatten dinners we had, there was so much good food and wine!

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship
Get out and see the city/country you're in and really experience it. It's a once in a lifetime chance to travel and see sites you might not otherwise see. Get to know the other people on your programme and your colleagues, as they will be friends for life.

If you could change anything about your internship, what would it be?
I would have extended it for another year!

What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
I moved to New York, which a number of people from my year did, and found a flat in Brooklyn which I shared with a friend from the programme. I worked in New York for 2 years in student recruitment before I had an opportunity to move to London with my company. That role gave me the opportunity to travel across Europe, recruiting students for roles in London, which was an excellent experience personally and professionally.

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
I'm still in London, 6 years after I moved back, and I still love it. I fell into Graduate Recruitment when I moved to New York and I'm now an Employer Brand manager (the person who does the advertising and events for graduate recruitment) for Europe at J.P. Morgan.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
I'd love to go back to school and get a masters at some point, but for the moment, I'm enjoying the work that I do. I'd also like to go for citizenship in UK, so that I can do a secondment (or that masters degree) in a new country and have the freedom to come back to London when it finishes. When I first applied for the Mountbatten Programme, I thought a year would be enough for me, but I've found I love the atmosphere (if not the weather!) here in London and I'm here for the foreseeable future.