On 17th February 2016, the 5th New Financial Worlds Conference was successfully held at the state-of-the-art Bloomberg Auditorium in London.

The day was split between Investment Banking and Global Markets. The diverse range of speakers left attendees with an unparalleled understanding of the two areas. With an inside-scoop on how to break into these exclusive divisions from the industry’s best, attendees are now better equipped to differentiate themselves amongst the fierce competition.

The day started with a talk from a Managing Director at the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs. Having worked at the division for close to 20 years, his extensive experience quickly expanded attendee’s knowledge on debt financing and LBOs.

The next speaker was Omiros Sarikas, a principal advisor at AHV Associates LLP, a private equity firm. With a long track record in M&A and PE/VC, he diligently explained the life cycle of a fund, their position in the financial world and how attendees should align themselves to the industries’ needs.

Christopher Wickli from Citi rounded off the Investment Banking session with an excellent summary of what ECM involves and the characteristics that make a successful banker in this area. The first Global Markets speaker was Nigel Khakoo, the Global Head of FX Trading at Nomura International, who focused on Abenomics and derivatives. Using a recent example he explained the use of options in order to take advantage of central bank events.

Our final speaker, Marc Mourre (pictured), the former Vice Chairman of Commodities at Morgan Stanley, is widely acclaimed as one of France’s most famous bankers and, true to expectations, provided an eye-opening view on the future of the oil sector.

With a drinks reception to conclude, the Conference was extremely well received by students and speakers alike, with a number of students having successfully networked with our speakers and recruiters! Indeed, for anyone interested in finance, attending next year is an absolute must considering the insight you will gain, as well as the exclusive and diverse network that you are sure to build.