On Thursday, October 27, 2022, Macquarie hosted its annual DEI webinar, ‘Women@Macquarie’. This event was dedicated to students who want to learn more about the firm’s culture, its vision for the future, and their various investment professions and open positions in an intimate setting.
As part of the WinFin initiative - the EDHEC student association aiming to promote gender diversity and opportunities in the financial sector - here is our session recap.
About the company Macquarie
Macquarie is a diversified financial group providing clients with asset management and finance, banking, advisory and risk and capital solutions across debt, equity and commodities.
A career at Macquarie means you’ll have the opportunity to develop and utilise new skills, explore interesting fields and do challenging work that will impact the lives of people around the world—whether it’s accelerating the green energy transition, helping sustain global food supplies, financing social housing projects or investing in essential infrastructure.
‘At Macquarie, we’re empowering people to innovate and invest for a better future.’
Macquarie at a glance
- Macquarie has been operating in 33 countries
- +18 000 employees globally
- £451.7 billion AUM (Assets Under Management)
- £296.4 million community contributions since 1985
Introduction to the Macquarie Foundation and DEI initiatives
Macquarie has signed the Women in Finance Charter.
Macquarie supports hundreds of organisations globally through the Macquarie Group Foundation with volunteering and mentoring programs, as well as proving financial support.
Furthermore, the Employee Network Groups (ENG) collaborate with the DEI team to organize initiatives within the firm. In 2021, the ENGs have raised £182 000 for the charities they support.
The group is committed to achieve gender equity.
What’s Macquarie Edge ?
- From the get-go, you can enjoy a strong client exposure.
- Hierarchy and management style are flat.
- Learning curve is steep.
- You own your own career.
- Macquarie has 22 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including London and Paris. They recently opened a new bigger office in Paris.
Panellists, from left to right, up and down : Wang Shannon, Akulo Lola, Pace Linda,
Buesso Naomie, Guirao Hannah, Lescoeur Astrid
What it takes to be a Macquarie ?
Alternatively, our speakers panel highlighted their top skills to ace.
1) Be a good communicator and speak with confidence - with different teams across multiple functions. Individual input is highly encouraged, and staff is quickly put into various situations to learn from each other.
2) Commercial interest and awareness – pick your top interests, the ones you are eager to talk about with your friends, at the dinner table, news you love to read and share.
3) Eagerness to learn – love to learn from others and stay open to new opportunities. As soon as you arrive, and whatever are your goals, build a network across groups. Foundation activities are a perfect time to do so.
4) Refine your analytical skills – have an eye for detail, care for the outcome and stay resilient even under pressure. Be honest, and when you do not understand something, do not hesitate to ask to the right people.
5) Think outside the box !
Which advice can the panel give to female students ?
- Reach out to each other. Joining webinars, as the ‘Women@Macquarie’ is a strong start. Do not hesitate and apply to internships, it will help you get precious exposure.
- Be your authentic whole self. As a woman in our current societies and in the corporate world, we are likely to face stereotypes and unwritten rules, as the unfamous one to “keep quiet”. But the goal is to take pride in who you are, your skills, what you bring to the table.
- Keep imposter syndrome at bay. You would not be here if you did not deserve it.
- Be bold about your goals. A lot of opportunities will arise, stay open, true to yourself, many different paths exist.
- Small decisions made today will make the biggest impact in the long run.
How can I join the team ?
Macquarie offers junior talent programmes in EMEA and they welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates.
Macquarie has a buddy program in EMEA where a buddy will be introduced to all the new starters as an informal source of information, answering questions and providing guidance during their first 6 months at Macquarie to help them to more successful and feel a sense of belonging at Macquarie. Additionally, Macquarie also has an award winning Women in Tech programme.
Many upcoming events are awaiting for you here.
EDHEC WinFin