I was born in Beijing and moved to the UK when I was 13. I quickly found I had a passion for finance while studying for my Master’s degree in Chemistry at Cambridge.
I realised although I loved the analytical and numerical aspects of scientific research, the career wouldn’t provide the daily interaction with people that I was looking for in a role. So after graduating, I set out to look for a career that would allow me to combine these two aspects.
After internships ranging from luxury jewellery marketing to financial PR, it became clear that the investment management trainee role offered a perfect blend of traits I was looking for in a career. These days, as an investment manager at Smith & Williamson, I work on a team managing assets for a range of private clients, offshore accounts and charities. At Smith & Williamson, we don’t separate the roles of relationship manager and investment personnel, so I am able to speak to clients myself and take the time to understand their needs and build a direct relationship with them.
I am also actively involved in our in-house research process as the lead sector specialist for the healthcare sector. I conduct general research on the sector and put forward stock specific recommendations for the division. My academic experience has allowed me to bring a new perspective and truly add value to these tasks as I am able to offer a deeper, more analytical understanding of these companies and the sector as a whole.
Finally, I sit on the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion working group, working towards increasing female and ethnic minority representation within the firm, especially focused on the trainee level.