Alum of the Month

Henrietta Koomson

April 2018

New York Program

September 2008 Intake

What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
I did a BA in International Relations and Political Science at the University of Birmingham.

What made you apply for the Mountbatten programme?
I went to a presentation by Mountbatten at the University of Sheffield during my MA in Law, and I remember leaving that presentation thinking it sounded like an amazing opportunity. I then spoke to a couple of friends who were familiar with the programme and they told me it was amazing. So I decided to go for it.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
I worked as an Executive Assistant to the Global HR Business Partner for Risk Control and General Counsel. I also partnered with the global HR team and established and maintained relationships with internal clients at all levels. A part of my role involved co-ordinating all logistics for redundancy excercises, including employee issues post termination. I was also involved in candidate selection and interview for replacement HR assistants.

I was lucky to be given the opportunity to participate in the UBS Legal Summer Associate Program, whereby I attended training sessions at US law firms.


What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
Our intake arrived the weekend that Lehman crashed and so being an intern in HR in a bank during that year was a unique experience. My manager was a 'proper' New Yorker who was full of energy and personality and there was never a dull day with her around.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
I won the Bob Johnson Memorial award, which acknowledged that I'd seen Beyoncé in concert that year I think 6 times. That award is still on my CV and frankly a highlight of life! Picture enclosed for comic effect.

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship
Don’t be so focused on the Newport/Jersey thing. I have actually chosen to live in Newport/Hoboken now and paying that rent cheque will make you miss Mountbatten honey! Make the most of every single moment and the ready-made friendship group.

What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
I was lucky enough to have already secured a training contract before starting on the programme, and so I did the LPC, temped at Goldman Sachs in D&I (which I loved) and started as a trainee at my firm. I soon realised though that I so loved what I was doing at UBS and have found my way back here.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
Not really? I moved back to New York (well, Newport) in August 2017 and recently got promoted at work and have made some great friends – and so I am pretty fulfilled right now! *shocker*