The Hartford Hosts Networking Event Celebrating Interns’ Success
- emmawallbank7
- Sep 22
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 23
The Hartford Hosts Networking Event Celebrating Interns’ Success
This July, The Hartford welcomed past and present interns from The Brokerage Placement Programme 2025 to a special networking event outside the iconic Gherkin building in the City of London, to celebrate interns success. The event brought together staff, managers, mentors, interns, and representatives from The Brokerage to celebrate the achievements of young people who have gained valuable early career experience through this long-standing partnership.
Since 2022, our partnership with The Hartford has gone from strength to strength. Together, we’ve recruited for 22 different roles – from internships to graduate positions – giving young people the chance to take their first steps into professional careers. Beyond recruitment, The Hartford team has given their time and expertise by volunteering at seven different events, directly supporting 103 Brokerage candidates to build their skills, grow in confidence, and expand their knowledge of the world of work. It’s a partnership that continues to create opportunities and lasting impact.
What made this event particularly special was the return of interns from three different intern placement cohorts, many of whom were eager to reconnect with The Hartford team and share their journeys since completing their placements.
Names from left to right: Moeen Shaikh, Francesca Lees, Karen Dias, Calvin Princewill, Mohammed Hussain
Fatoumata Yabou, Imaan Atif, Emmanuella Sosimi, Aniqa Rahman, Ivan Islam, Talia Ozluk
One such returner to the networking event was Francesca aged 20, who interned with The Hartford in 2024 and is now continuing her professional journey with an internship at SMBC Bank.
Francesca commented:
I'm grateful to The Brokerage for the opportunity of the placement at The Hartford and I wanted to come back to say hello, thank the team and meet the new cohort. I'm currently enjoying my second placement at SMBC and particularly liking learning about the different work culture and their practices.
Her story highlights the lasting impact of these opportunities – and the pride interns feel in coming back to celebrate their progress with the team that first welcomed them.
Intern celebrates achievements
Fatoumata, who has been a Brokerage candidate since she was sixteen, is now completing her internship with The Hartford and shared her reflections at the event. Here she explains her experience of Elle - an internal learning platform that is offered to The Hartford staff to ensure well-being plays a part in work practices:
“The Hartford internal processes and practices have been enlightening. Learning on the internship has uncovered some of my unconscious bias, as I had previous preconceptions of what a HR department is and who is the beneficiary. I believed until now that it was primarily the company and not the individual. Having accessed and read assets on The Hartford on their internal learning platform Elle, the content included well-being and work coping strategies which I found both insightful and really useful.”
Talent and determination
Ivan Islam, another current intern, made an outstanding contribution during his placement, completing the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification alongside his project work. Supported by his mentor, Monish Majethia, Ivan demonstrated the kind of talent and determination that shines through Brokerage programmes.
Reflecting on his experience, Ivan said:
“Opportunities are hard to find for people like me. I live on a council estate in London. Trying to network with professionals is non-existent. The Brokerage has given me the opportunity and support to apply for the internship at The Hartford.”
Partner perspectives
Above all, the event highlighted the two-way impact of the partnership – not only showcasing the opportunities and growth it creates for interns, but also the fresh perspectives and value The Hartford gains by welcoming them into their teams.
Gareth Poxon, IT Operations Manager at The Hartford, said:
“We have had to be ahead of the curve since having The Brokerage interns in the team. Ivan has completed work so fast and contributed to live projects and given the whole team ideas and solutions that we did not even know/think about. It is a two-way opportunity – we support them with opportunities, and they give us fresh new perspectives.”
Sarah Devonport CEO of The Brokerage said:
“Our partnership with The Hartford is a brilliant example of how employers and The Brokerage can work together to create real opportunities for young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. The Hartford not only opens its doors to our candidates but actively invests in their growth, giving them the confidence, skills and professional networks that can transform their futures. We’re proud to see the positive impact this partnership has for both the interns and The Hartford team.”
Celebrating partnership impact
This networking event was more than a celebration – it was a testament to the power of collaboration between The Brokerage and The Hartford. By investing in future talent, The Hartford is not only providing life-changing opportunities to young people but also benefiting from their drive, innovation, and fresh perspectives.
Together, we are proving that when talent meets opportunity, everyone thrives. The Brokerage are excited to be continuing the partnership with The Hartford and looking forward to growing the programme for 2026 and beyond. If you're a company looking to bring early career talent into your organisation - reach out to us today. We have a dynamic network of students eager for work experience in the city. https://www.thebrokerage.org.uk/partners
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