Ama joined The Brokerage in 2014 when she was at 6th form. At the time she was interested in both the sciences and finance and keen to get an experience in both disciplines
The Brokerage were able to help Ama with interview practice and preparation, as well as helping her to learn about assessment centres and other soft skills such as SMART goal setting. She secured her first internship with the Brokerage partner, Canopius and worked as an assistant reconciliation clerk in their finance department over the summer after A levels.
After the internship, Ama went to university to the University of Portsmouth to study an integrated masters degree in Pharmacy, though she was invited back to Canopius to do another internship the following year. Through the Brokerage, she was also given the opportunity to enrol on a diploma course ‘An Introduction to Business & Finance in the City’ via the European College of Business Management.
‘I was interested in finance and excelled in the sciences. My plan was to complete my Pharmacy degree, become a Pharmacist, and then retrain as an accountant by taking the required professional exams. The Brokerage gave me access to opportunities that would set me up for success in finance. It also afforded me the opportunity to build and expand my network.’
After completing her studies, Ama worked for a year with the NHS as a trainee Pharmacist before taking up the role of a Finance Associate with the pharmaceutical company GSK, on their graduate Future Leaders programme. This enabled here to couple her scientific knowledge with the financial acumen she had acquired through various summer internships. On successful completion of her graduate programme, she has offboarded into the role of a Medical Science Liaison.
How did The Brokerage help?
Although it was several years ago, Ama says she still uses the lessons learned from The Brokerage today, especially things she learned around SMART goal setting, networking and the STAR interview technique. Working with the Brokerage opened doors to opportunities outside her immediate network and fostered a willingness to take on new challenges, which is essential for overcoming barriers.
“Talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not. The Brokerage gave me access to opportunities that I otherwise would not have had”.
Are companies doing enough on Diversity and Inclusion?
Ama has had the opportunity to work with various companies on their D&I agendas, at the top, and at ground level. She thinks some progress has been made in some areas as conversations on the topics are being held however the dial needs to move from conversation to action and ultimately sustainable change. It is important to acknowledge the progress made but let’s not become too comfortable because we still have a long way to go. She thinks progress has definitely been made in the area of gender, but other areas such as intersectionality and unseen diversities are yet to be fully addressed.
What advice would you give your younger self?
We ask Ama what advice she would give to her younger self (or to current Brokerage candidates)
“Don’t disqualify yourself before you start the race – because you have enough barriers ahead of that you will need to overcome. Put yourself up for opportunities and make full use of it when given the chance. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and do things outside of your comfort zone. When you’re younger the stakes are lower relative to the years ahead of you.
“Also, network, network. Go to events and make the effort to speak to people who you wouldn’t normally speak to, especially people who do not necessarily look or sound like you. Ensure your network is diverse. Always recognise the value in your peers as a network, you are the future leaders after all.
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