Hello! My name is Yeme and I’m currently an Analyst in the Impact: Global Capital Markets New Graduate Development Program. I recently graduated from McMaster University with a Master of Business Administration in Finance, and I’m also a University of Toronto Alumna where I completed my undergraduate degree in Economics and Sociology.
My first encounter with Scotiabank was at a job fair/mock interview night during the first semester of my MBA program. I found the campus team to be lovely and welcoming, and that's when I knew I wanted to work at the bank. I applied for co-op roles and was super excited when I got an offer to join the Corporate Banking team. During my first co-op in Corporate Banking, I worked on the Real Estate, Mining, and Power team. I learned so much about the world of Global Banking & Markets and I knew I had found my field of work. For my next co-op, I worked in Sales & Trading (Global Capital Markets) on the Corporate Derivative Products Group. I was nervous going in, but my team was extremely welcoming, and the bank provided plenty of development opportunities. I returned for one more term on the FX Retail & Precious Metals desk, which was also during the height of the pandemic. Although working from home provided different obstacles, the campus team still provided us with so many resources to help us grow. After 3 co-ops, I knew I wanted to make Scotiabank my home, and so I applied for the Impact program and started in February 2021.
The Impact program consists of rotations in Sales, Trading, and Structuring desks within Capital Markets, as well as an international rotation! My first rotation was on the Debt Capital Markets desk, where I was introduced to the world of bonds and syndication. My second rotation was a structuring role on Global Equity Derivatives Structured Notes. I found this particularly interesting because although I was on Structuring, I got to work with both the Sales and Trading arms of Global Equity Derivatives. I'm currently back on the Corporate Derivative Products group for my last rotation and have been hired to the team full time. This was a major career goal of mine and I'm looking forward to growing my career and gaining as much knowledge as I can to make interactions between my team and our clients as seamless as possible.
One of the major highlights of my time at Scotiabank has honestly been the people that I’ve met along the way. Every single person has been instrumental in making my experience at Scotiabank incredible, and I’ve found that the people here genuinely want you to succeed and will provide you with whatever resources you need to make that possible.
My advice for students is to put themselves out there, talk with people to learn about their experiences, and be open-minded to trying new things. Having the right AOO (Attitude Ownership & Opportunity) is also very important. Always have a positive attitude, take ownership of your work, and don't be scared to put your hand up for opportunities that come your way. You never know what you may discover!
Interested in learning more about our Impact program and how to apply? Click here!
