Vendor Manager

Acted as an intermediary between various banking units and external market data vendors, for the provision of tailored data products/services to meet the needs of the end user. Responsible for the management of commercial and contractual negotiations with vendors, looking to maximise cost savings and maintain vendor relationships. Key tasks included price negotiation, legal review, database management and usage analysis, as well as managing ad hoc data requests from various business units.

Learnt - price negotiation, vendor relationship management, database optimisation and maintenance, applying company initiatives into everyday work. Developed - teamwork, communication, time management, excel and powerpoint skills.

Yes, I was given a high degree of responsibility from the start - be it running weekly team meetings or leading vendor negotiations for global data deals. This proved fantastically useful, as although the initial learning curve was steep, being forced out of my comfort zone allowed for much faster professional development.

The whole team, spanning a variety of seniorities, were hugely supportive on my placement. People were happy to help out with queries, and would take time out of their busy schedules to provide guidance and feedback on my work. Beyond my team, employees across the bank were happy to schedule catch-ups, and help you wherever possible - be it work-related or for networking opportunities.

Nomura fosters and excellent company culture, where individuals and teams are encouraged to collaborate and challenge existing ways of operating. Everyone is given opportunities to grow and develop their understanding of the company through guest speakers and online training courses. Across all regions, everyone I worked with was highly professional and motivated, happy to go the extra mile for their teams and wider stakeholders.

My placement at Nomura was a truly fantastic experience. It has developed my professional and interpersonal skills hugely, giving me a great insight into what a career in finance is like. I would highly recommend a placement at Nomura to anyone!

Yes

Don't be afraid of trying out new divisions or job roles - as a student, its good to keep your options open!