Alum of the Month
Claire Tolley
October 2018
New York Program
August 2014 Intake
Current Role: Senior Analyst, Marketing at Mastercard, London UK
What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
University of Manchester – BA Hons German & Spanish
What made you apply for the Mountbatten program?
Having worked at a start up in Beijing I was keen to expand on my international business experience by working in a multinational corporation in a vibrant, world-class city. The opportunity to study Organizational Behavior, Finance and Global Business, alongside, complemented my background in foreign languages. Moreover, I knew that working in New York would be a steep learning curve that would give me a broader global perspective.
Describe your placement.
I was placed at UBS Wealth Management Americas, in the Banking Division. My role was Field Engagement & Client Experience for the UBS Card Program and Client Accounts. The role entailed delivering internal communications campaigns to 7000 Financial Advisors across North America and the UBS Sales Force. Campaigns ranged from card incentive programs to the launch of UBS Apple Pay to crisis communications for data breaches. I presented at branches in the New York Tri State and ran a Super Bowl card acquisition competition for Financial Advisors.
What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
I was invited to record an Apple Pay internal radio commercial at the UBS recording studio in Manhattan, which was aired across North America.
What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
There are many! Watching one of my friends walk the runway at New York Fashion Week and joining a morning boat party as the sun rose over Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty were both very memorable moments.
Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship
I think it is important to proactively ask questions, network and absorb as much as possible. Don’t let confidence hold you back: you can’t and aren’t expected to be the expert in everything. The chances are, you may change jobs, industries and even countries several times in your career. The important thing is to take a step back, learn to be comfortable in uncertainty and focus on the transferable skills that will help you adapt and hit the ground running in whichever future roles come your way.
If you could change anything about your internship, what would it be?
Knowing what I know now, I would have tried to proactively build relationships much earlier. In some cases, I let confidence hold me back. I think it would have been valuable to shadow more people to get as much insight as possible that I could take forward in my new role.
What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
I travelled to the west coast and then moved to London to find a job.
Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
I now work in marketing at Mastercard. I market B2B payment technology to banks and merchants globally. It has been a really interesting role that has seen me manage events in India, Spain and the Netherlands, produce videos and generate content, work on employee engagement initiatives and more. Additionally, I have been a Lead in Mastercard’s Women’s Leadership Network and volunteer in various STEM initiatives. I recently won a Rising Star Industry Award, through a panel of independent judges and a public vote.
Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
Professionally, I plan to build on my career in marketing – ideally continuing in a global organisation where I can work with different markets. I will continue building my network and supporting initiatives for women in technology. Socially, I would like to keep travelling and visiting interesting places. Next year I will go to Africa for the first time and experience a safari. I would also like to learn French and snowboard at some point.
Is there any other information that you would like to be included?
Feel free to get in touch if you are interested in learning more.
Email: claire.tolley@mastercard.com