“Tell me, and I will forget.
Show me, and I may remember.
Involve me, and I will understand.”
I interned with HSBC global banking Strategic Transactions Group (STG). It all started on 3rd April, when I entered the B2 building, for the first time. I saw a bunch of new and charming faces, all looking extremely excited about this new corporate adventure. After a two-day intensive training session, each of us was assigned a different team. I was in the France advisory team also called the Mergers and Acquisitions team.
New to the corporate world, I had a lot to learn. During the initial days, we spent time learning the work that our team does. Later we were given specific training sessions about different aspects of investment banking. It was an extremely edifying environment to work in, along with so many talented interns from top business schools of India like IIFT Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SIBM Pune, NMIMS Mumbai, etc.
I was lucky to get hands-on experience in different areas like trading comparable, transaction comparable, profiling and more with working hours extending to even 1-2 am at times. The work was very engrossing and required undefeated attention. However, the learning was immense at every step and turn.
Soon I got hold of the work and understood the responsibility that it entailed. However, I enjoyed working and adhering to the deadlines. Towards the end of the internship, all interns were required to make a presentation to senior management. I was pleased to have a positive response to my presentation and appreciation for the business idea put forth. We all heaved a sigh of relief thereafter.
On the last day of our internship, a special farewell lunch was organised at the office premises. It was heart-warming to see the senior management along with the STG head present on the occasion. Plenty of fun activities and games made the event quite memorable.
Working at HSBC was a unique and valuable experience. I got an opportunity to learn about various sectors and companies, the skill of creating company profiles, the accuracy in screening and benchmarking and formatting tools and techniques. Also, the most important learning was time management which is crucial to success in any field.
The stay in Bangalore was delightful providing opportunities to explore the city and visit interesting places. It also gave us a taste of its traffic snarls and water woes! But the overall experience was stimulating and fulfilling.
La viva Bengaluru!
Manan Mehra
Class of 2020
Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar