Careers   Graduate & MBA Professional Recruitment

Soumen

For the last six years, I have worked within the European real estate sector team in Investment Banking. The universe of real estate owners is vast, hence we cover not only listed companies but also private companies, other corporates, governments and real estate private equity funds.

I joined UBS in 1998, shortly after graduating from Cambridge University, and did my initial training in Singapore. It was a fabulous experience and a wonderful opportunity to get to know my fellow graduate joiners, many of whom are now close friends. I now have a great network across the firm, in Equities, Fixed Income Rates and Currencies and Operations as well as Investment Banking.

There's no 'typical' working day - it depends on the client, the country and the product. The one common theme is that the team will always strive to provide the best financial advice while aiming to solve technical issues along the way.

Although I am based in London, my team also covers European real estate. As well as certain UK companies, I am jointly responsible for covering Netherlands, Germany and increasingly Switzerland. To do this well means working closely with my colleagues on the ground in those countries so that the client benefits from the combination of local and regional knowledge, as well as specialized real estate knowledge.

Eduard

I've worked in international settlements at UBS since May 2004. Although I didn't know anyone in Stamford then, I have been very pleasantly surprised at how quickly I have been able to integrate myself within the company.

Shortly after I started, HR organized an induction session for new employees of Operations. We had the chance to meet senior managers and ask them questions about the company or about individual departments. I also had a follow-up interview 90 days later when I was asked to share my experiences.

I believe that the caliber of the people here is very high. They are committed to their careers and like to take on challenges. I have always said that I would be happiest in a place where people shared the same goals that I did, had the courage to constantly challenge the status quo, and the enthusiasm and the knowledge to get things done. Without a doubt, this is the situation at UBS.

Lilian

As an HR Client Relationship Manager, I am the HR business partner of FX/CCT, FI Distribution, and Credit and Market Risk in my region, plus various other revenue businesses in Singapore. My role is to provide them with comprehensive strategic, organisational and operational HR support.

For me, the biggest kick comes from the knowledge that I have played a part in the success of the firm. The challenges are plenty, varied and never-ending - from hiring, growing and retaining the best talent to helping to manage change (which is pretty much constant), to dealing with individual managers, their staff and their issues. I get such a wonderful feeling when I manage to sort out difficult situations and resolve problems.

There isn't a formula for working with people so I can never predict how my day is going to turn out. I interact with employees of all levels of seniority in many locations regionally and globally, as well as a whole assortment of external contacts. The managers and staff I deal with are some of the most dynamic and intelligent people around, so I always have to keep on top of things. My job is fast-paced, demanding and often filled with the unexpected - but it is never ever boring. You could say that my adrenaline is always pumping.

Angus

I'm the global business unit controller for both the Investment Bank's FX, Cash and Collateral trading division, and for the Group's Treasury division. I look after a team of controllers in all time zones.

We handle all aspects of the financial controlling of a trillion dollar balance sheet business. This role includes trade analytics, front-to-back integrity of the financials, and management information systems.

Nothing stands still for long in the financial markets and around 20% of my staff work exclusively on projects to reengineer our processes. Controlling a business of this size and complexity - which changes so often - has many challenges.

One of the greatest is to ensure efficient communication with each of my team members. This is most difficult in the smaller overseas locations and means that from here at my desk in Zurich, I am a 'virtual manager' to people all over the world.

Clive

I currently work in European Equities Technology. I've been with UBS for 12 years, although I left for 18 months and came back again. My role involves managing a large technology change budget, and some 300 people.

After graduating in Computer Science and a couple of jobs contracting, I worked my way up from a 'grass roots' job in front office support. I can honestly say that good people tend to rise to the top in UBS, but like everywhere else, it takes time and experience.

UBS staff tends to be committed to the firm and the long-term vision. Most people are in for the long haul and a career - rather than just a job - which adds to the feeling of team spirit and a common purpose.

Rajeev

I have been with UBS in London since 2002 and currently run the Market Risk IT function globally. My responsibilities involve managing a team of approximately 60 developers, analysts and project managers across a range of initiatives that can vary greatly in size and complexity.

The environment in which we operate is very diverse - both geographically and in terms of the variety of work that we do day-to-day. There is a real opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures, which I really enjoy.

I think that UBS is much more collegiate than other investment banks. There's a genuine sense of collaboration and teamwork here - I like my colleagues a lot and want them to be successful. Equally, I feel supported by them and value their professionalism, intelligence and good humour.

Rebecca

I am a Managing Attorney heading up the employment law and litigation group at UBS Investment Bank. I began working here almost eight years ago after the birth of my first child. Before that, I was a litigation partner in the New York office of a national law firm where I specialized in securities, white-collar crime and employment litigation.

The most enjoyable aspect of my job is the people I work with. We have a very collegial employment law group and we also work very closely with our colleagues in the securities litigation group and the employment lawyers in other regions. Employment law issues arise across the entire firm, so I enjoy working with many different clients in HR as well as all the different business groups.

I am also very involved in and passionate about the firm's diversity initiatives and I enjoy the intersection between my work as both an employment lawyer and a diversity advocate.

Sally

I have recently taken up a managing role in Client Support team in Securities Operations after working in the Operations Control team for around five years.

The Client Support team provides post-trade service to clients trading cash equities products. This includes managing the confirmation process and handling queries, before the trades are being fed further downstream for clearing and settlement. As well as dealing with clients, our team also works with colleagues throughout the organisation to ensure quality and timely service delivery in all time zones.

Before I took up my current position in February 2006, I worked in the Operations Control team in a number of different roles, including Operations Risk Analysis, Data and Reconciliation Control, and Business Planning and Strategy.

As an Operations Risk Analyst, I worked together with other managers to ensure proper controls were in place to manage operational risk. Whilst working in Data and Reconciliation Control, I was responsible for managing the transition of the function and its tasks from London to Singapore, spending six weeks in the Singapore office to set up the team. In Business Planning and Strategy - my first role with UBS - I was responsible for looking after the Operations costs charging model for the Asia Pacific Region before taking charge of cost management issues for Japan Operations and Asia Pacific overall.