“I fell in love with London when I first went to the LSE Summer School”
On December 5, a meeting of ICEF Alumni was held in London with the participation of ICEF.LSE project team members in a new LSE Centre Building. ICEF ex-students shared their personal stories.
London is a global financial hub, so it looks natural when ICEF alumni choose this place for life and work. 'ICEF survivors' now is a friendly and large community, which now can rightfully be called a remarkable part of the Russian-speaking community in London. Together they go to concerts of the Leningrad group, play football, celebrate birthdays and, of course, help each other in a variety of issues. In their interviews, alumni often note that it is precisely the fact that ICEF taught them to “survive” in the face of the most seemingly impossible tasks made them who they are.
The venue was the LSE, the meeting programme included speeches by LSE pro-director David Webb, ICEF Director Sergey Yakovlev and, of course, alumni. Then there was a stand-up meal and informal Christmas networking.
“ICEF students have a huge impact on the business sector. They represent the largest financial and consulting structures like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, PwC, IBM, UniCredit, and McKinsey – all the companies where I never dreamed of getting a job. Therefore, we are grateful that you choose the programmes developed by the LSE”, - said Webb and also noted the outstanding exam excellence of ICEF students, which in the future will open them the path to success.
Sergey Yakovlev in his turn notes not only student performance, but also the latest achievements of the ICEF in scientific research, and talks about the the formation of the ICEF Endowment Fund, inviting graduates to participate in its development.
The honorary guests of the meeting were members of the LSE and UoL – Pro Vice-Chancellor Mary Stiasny, Director of Student Recruitment & Enrolments at UoL International Programme Pamela Roberts, ex-director of ICEF Project from LSE side Professor Richard Jackman, Professors Kevin Sheedy, Jorn Rothe and Brian Eales. ICEF was presented by the leaders of the bachelor and master programs Oleg Zamkov and Maxim Nikitin.
The meeting brought together more than 40 graduates of the ICEF living, working or studying in London. Alumni spoke words of gratitude and hope that every year the ICEF community will grow – there will be more professional achievements and motivations for talented applicants to become part of ICEF family.
Natalia Shakhina and Oleg Bezumov, the participants of ICEF Alumni meeting, told us about how the career paths of graduates in London developed in their personal cases.
“I graduated from ICEF in 2010 and moved to London to study at Cass Business School, and then I stayed here to work. I have an unusual career track. Now I work in the Behavioral Insights Team, where we conduct consulting projects in the field of public policy based on research in the areas of behavioral economics, psychology, sociology. And it is thanks to ICEF that I am where I am. I’ll tell you why.
Firstly, the international level of the programme. It is not only about language, but about access to the world of global education and business. You learn to think outside the box, you come across different points of view and different approaches to learning. This opened me to new ways and challenges and gave me not only perfect hard skills, but also the confidence to move to London as a best place for professional development.
Secondly, ICEF is an amazing community, including students, graduates, teachers and administration. You will find friends and inspiration there. You are surrounded by different, but interesting, talented, motivated people in it's own way, you discover many new ways that you used to try to follow. This encourages you to develop, grow and become a better version of yourself.
Thirdly, the intensity of programme played a role in my life. On the one hand, it is difficult, but on the other, it gives strength in advance. If you survived double exams and rigorous check of knowledge, you should know that you can challenge with any professional tasks. I hope that the success of ICEF alumni in various fields will serve students as evidence of the quality and relevance of this education.”
“When you speak at an Alumni meeting, it's time to take stock. I graduated from ICEF in 2012, and now is a Senior Associate at IBD Natural Resources at Goldman Sachs in London. Recalling my studies, I can say that the main advantages, even resources, of the ICEF for me were people, common values and problem-solving skills, which I learned fully.
What makes ICEF people special? These are very motivated, result-oriented and aspiring to success students. When you study in an atmosphere filled with positive energy, you have no excuse for laziness, you must be successful.
Teachers and staff are the highly professionals and leaders in their field. They are a great incentive for students to be the best in their studies. Graduates accumulate all these positive qualities, but each in their own way and in their own professional niche – business, science or banking.
About myself – I can say for sure exactly how ICEF helped me in my life and career. For example, I fell in love with London when I first went to the LSE Summer School. I realized that the financial world of London is huge, there are more opportunities to find promising jobs and gain experience in companies with a long history. Therefore, I aimed at studying for a master's degree in London, it was quite easy with a 1st grade diploma, and I chose the programme at Imperial College.
After graduation, it was thanks to the support of the ICEF alumni community in London that I received several career insights and was hired by Nutmeg (a multi-billion dollar investment management company), and then Goldman Sachs.
At Goldman Sachs, I helped clients raise more than $60 billion by working on key deals, including Saudi Aramco, the largest IPO in the history of financial market. My achievements are because of solving problems skills that I developed in undergraduate studies.
However, you should not think that ICEF will solve all the problems for you. Studying gives you only the keys, and you have to decide on the right door. But you will never cease to be a member of a large family of ICEF graduates. This is a huge support in all career undertakings.”