Deadlines for 2016 summer internships in Hong Kong closed late last year and global banks have now chosen the new cohorts of over-achieving students who will join them this summer.
Public profiles of some of these people have already started to appear online as ‘incoming interns’. If you’re wondering why you didn’t get selected for an internship yourself (or if you want to know who you’ll be up against in a few months), here’s a selection of 2016 interns to inspire you.
Vincent Liew Wei Sheng, UBS: gaining early insights
How do you convince a bank that you’re committed to it before you even start interning? Enrol in what’s typically called an ‘early insights’ programme. You’ll spend a few days getting a taste of the firm and you’ll probably take part in a trading game or case competition. Sheng’s been through four of these events in Hong Kong – at J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse…and UBS. The academic achievements of this Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) student are as impressive as his corporate commitment – he’s won two scholarship awards, including one from the Hong Kong government, and he’s also made his university’s Dean’s List twice, putting him among the top 8% of undergraduates.
Viviana Yaxin Tan, Macquarie: bringing Chinese expertise
We reported last year on global banks increasingly hiring elite mainland students for Hong Kong internships and analyst jobs. Banks want people who grasp the Chinese business environment and who they can soon put in front of Chinese clients. Tan is a case in point: She’s joining Macquarie on the back of mainland-based internships at Bank of China and China Chang Jiang Securities. Like many students who’ve successfully landed internships in Hong Kong, Tan has combined her local (HKUST) degree with study exchanges overseas – in her case the University of British Columbia and the University of Southern California.
Donny Gong, Deutsche Bank: inching up the intern ladder
If you don’t get an internship with an international bank at first attempt, try again and keep on trying. Gong, an HKUST student, began his run of internships for Ping An Bank in Shenzhen before being snapped up by three firms in Hong Kong: Eklectik, Privé Financial and Religare Capital Markets. Now hired by Deutsche, his climb up the internships ladder seems complete. Gong has also demonstrated his passion for the banking sector with high places in the J.P. Morgan Portfolio Investment Challenge, ForexMaster Hong Kong Summer Trade-Off and BNP Paribas Ace Manager competition.
Cici Xie, Bank of America Merrill Lynch: extracurricular star
Will a bulge bracket in Hong Kong take you on after you’ve done an internship at a Singaporean bank? Yes, in the case of Xie, who did stints at UOB Kay Hian last year. And while almost all interns look to impress banks with their extracurricular activities, Xie (an HKUST student who’s done an exchange to Harvard) is a standout. Behold the ‘activities and societies’ section of her profile: “global business external relations team, external secretary Chinese Folk Art Society, Harvard’s Association for U.S.-China Relations (AUSCR) summit for young leaders in China, HKUST connect Huangshan service learning trip, organising team member of e-academy of HKUST entrepreneurship centre”.
Sophia Lin, Credit Suisse: keeping her options open
It’s increasingly possible to get experience across financial services even before you’ve graduated. Lin will get a taste of working at a large bank this summer, but she’s already interned at a private equity firm (HQ Capital) and at an advisory boutique (BDA Partners) in Hong Kong. Her education is similarly well-rounded. She’s studying economics and finance at The University of Hong Kong, but that hasn’t stopped her doing a summer course at Shanghai’s Fudan University and a winter/spring exchange to the University of California, Los Angeles. Lin also won the Credit Suisse HOLT Valuation Challenge in 2015 – a sure fire way to impress the bank’s internship interviewers.
Lukai Wang, Citi: comes CFA-equipped
Are you studying in Singapore but would prefer to intern in Hong Kong because it’s a bigger investment banking hub? It’s a distinct possibility – as we noted earlier this week, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is among the top-20 suppliers of junior talent to banks in Hong Kong. Take Wang – he’s an NUS student due to complete both a Bachelor of Science (in financial statistics) and a Bachelor of Arts (in economics) in 2017. He has impressive grades so far in both degrees and naturally he’s done a stint at a US college (Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania). But he has also already achieved what many more senior financial professionals often find immensely challenging – passing CFA Level I. Taking extra exams while still at university are somewhat of a thing for Wang – in 2014 he scored 9/10 and 10/10 in two Society of Actuary tests.
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