A stimulating place to work

Sofia Riccio joined Aspect in 2021 as a legal apprentice. We wrote a blog with her shortly after that which can be found here. We catch-up with her for an update to mark National Apprenticeship Week 2024.

"As I reached the end of the paralegal apprenticeship, I knew I wanted to extend my knowledge further, so the solicitor apprenticeship was a no-brainer to me."

In this article we speak with two of Aspect’s 22-23 placement students. Jemima Denton and Joshua Olufsen share their experience of a placement year, advice for those looking at the option of a year in industry and the impact a placement has had on their career plans.

"I would say apply to anything that sounds interesting! You’ll get the most out of the year if you’re somewhere you genuinely want to be. Also, make sure you utilise all the opportunities available to you throughout the year, whether that’s attending training sessions, networking events or just chatting to people in the office."

Aspect's Regulatory Reporting Finance Lead, Elizabeth Singer, discusses her background, returning to work after a career break, flexible working at Aspect and her advice for others thinking of going back into employment.

"Returning to work after a break can be exciting and daunting at the same time. My advice would be to be honest with yourself about what you really want from your return to work, and to do your research, both into recruiters who specialise in what you are looking for, and into companies and their culture."

In this blog post Senior Data Engineer, Adam Chen, shares insight into his career in finance, a standard day in his role and his advice for those considering a role in the industry.

"Everyone is not only lovely, but also completely on top of their game. The latter is completely unsurprising but having the combination means that everyone is very open, willing to teach, and invested in making other people better which has the knock-on effect of making Aspect a better place."

Meet Investment Solutions Analyst, Jo La Porte: from her first introduction to the financial industry to her career progression and love for maths, food and painting.

"One of the many benefits of working for a company of Aspect’s size is the flexibility: if you work hard and demonstrate aptitude then opportunities can present themselves to take your career in different directions. The roles are dynamic and constantly developing in line with the direction of the business, which helps keep things both interesting and challenging."

Meet our apprentices: hear from Alice and Sofia on their apprenticeships with Aspect so far, including the key benefits of the scheme, their advice to others and how the early weeks of their different roles have been.

Meet Senior Trader, Jo Duncan, as she discusses her love of a challenge, her career so far and her advice to those considering a career in the industry.

"Every new project has challenging elements so helping Aspect to add new asset classes or markets to various programmes, or learning new tech skills to analyse slippage or helping a Portfolio Manager fine-tune their trading strategy are all rewarding."

In this blog post Principal Researcher, Jack Haberfield, shares insight into his role in Research, what makes a good researcher and the most unexpected thing he has experienced during his career.

"Initially, the most important qualities in a Researcher are common sense and academic integrity – to not to get too attached to a project so you can appraise it clearly."

Meet Alexandra Thompson, Head of Fund Accounting, as she discusses her interest in technology, her role in our Fund Accounting team and her work as part of Aspect's DE&I committee.

"Whilst we always recognise there is more to be done in the DE&I space, I am immensely proud of Aspect’s achievements so far. We have only had a formal DE&I committee for eighteen months, but the principles have been at the heart of the firm’s culture since day one."

In our latest team blog Mike Kwan, Director of Quantitative Development within our Trend Research team, discusses his career path so far, the role of QD, what makes a good team member and the exciting developments currently taking place in the space.

"The strongest QDs I have come across are excellent communicators and tend to have an almost obsessive drive to scratch beneath the surface to understand how and why things are built the way they are."

Meet Andra Ofosu, Director US Sales, who has recently been recognized in the Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM) 40 under 40 list honoring Black women who are shaping the future of asset management.

"My formative experiences growing up ingrained me with the ability to focus on my central goals and retain a sense of perspective, however hard things seem on the surface."

Technology plays a crucial role here at Aspect. Sunny Ratilal, Developer, discusses what it takes to be a good developer, why there are no Business Analysts at the firm and what this means for the Development team and their approach.

" I feel like everyone can gain and master the technical skills. What makes a good developer is humility and a willingness to learn from mistakes."

In this piece we hear from two of Aspect’s 2022 Summer Research Interns. Aditi Lapasia and Hannah Sleath share their experience of Aspect as well as their advice for those looking into summer internships.

"Having heard of Aspect’s culture of scientific innovation, collaboration and inclusivity, I started the internship with high expectations – but my experience has actually exceeded these in so many ways."

In this article we speak with two of Aspect’s 2022 Summer Business Development Interns. Mariam Muazu and Ella Keza share their experience of the business as well as their advice for those looking into summer internships.

"I would say definitely apply – having the opportunity to immerse yourself within any industry environment is so helpful! There is a huge amount to learn in this space from being in the presence of open, helpful and knowledgeable professionals on a day to day basis."