Our people
There are many pathways to a career in financial services. Tom Everson began his career journey at Macquarie through CareerTrackers, a national organisation that supports and links First Nations students with employers, while he was studying finance at university. Maliha Karim originally connected with Macquarie through CareerSeekers, which assists refugees and asylum seekers in finding employment, while she was completing her science degree, majoring in maths.
I grew up in Forbes, in the Central West of New South Wales, before moving to Sydney to study economics and finance. While I was at university, CareerTrackers approached me about completing an internship. I thought it could open some doors and I chose Macquarie because I’d heard good things about the culture, work and global mobility. This started a journey where I would experience a wide variety of opportunities.
I completed my first three-month internship in summer 2017-18 in the Risk Management Group with the Financial Crime Compliance team. The following year, I was invited to do a second internship with the Specialist Investment Solutions team looking at where to build accommodation for people living with disability.
In 2019, I returned for a third internship in the Banking and Financial Services Group with the Business Banking Collateral Management team. I was on the settlements side, working closely with relationship managers, client risk analysts, solicitors, mortgage brokers and other stakeholders to get the desired outcome for our clients who were purchasing real estate or making a business acquisition.
I received an offer to join Banking and Financial Services on the Graduate Program in 2020 and undertook two six-month rotations. The first was in the Personal Bank team where I worked with the Chief Operating Officer on a car loans project and back end set up. My second rotation was in the Wealth Transacting team, where I learned new technical and coding skills working on product and technology for the online user interface.
Macquarie is a big organisation, but my internships and graduate rotations gave me the chance to explore different areas, which were wildly unique. Each new role pushed me out of my comfort zone."
One of the biggest hurdles was learning each new team’s structure and function, but the people in every team I’ve joined have always been willing to help.
In 2023, I’m due to return to my home team, Business Banking Collateral Management. I like the business banking world and getting to analyse companies. The culture in the Banking and Financial Services division is also a big drawcard for me: the people are fun, there’s great flexibility, and the work is inspiring.
Every day is different and there’s so much to explore and learn about Macquarie’s businesses. The options for internal and global mobility are very appealing and people want you to grow and take the next step in your own career journey.
No matter what level you are, everyone treats you like an equal. The accessibility of senior staff is refreshing - you can walk past someone senior, ask a question, or just say ‘hello.’
Networking can feel uncomfortable, but it’s worth it, so try to meet a whole range of people around the business and find out what they do.
Be open to all opportunities. You may not think you’ll like a particular role or team, but you could learn a new skill, which brings something to your future career.
I’m originally from Bangladesh and came to Australia after high school. I enrolled in a Bachelor of Science, majoring in maths, and planned on a career in education. But I changed direction after becoming involved with the CareerSeekers program in my first year of uni.
CareerSeekers had a partnership with Macquarie, through the Macquarie Group Foundation, so I applied for an internship and was placed in the Financial Management Group Projects and Change team at the end of 2019.
I had a great mentor in that team who really encouraged me, and I gained an insight into the many opportunities available at Macquarie. The work, the environment, and the people I encountered at Macquarie all drew me to pursue finance.
I applied for a second internship via CareerSeekers, working in the Financial Control team, which gave me exposure to a very different type of financial reporting work. After the internship, I continued working part-time as I completed my studies.
After my two internships, I was hooked. I applied independently for the Graduate Program and was delighted when I received an offer to join the program in 2022.
The 15-month program includes rotations across three different finance teams, which gave me great exposure. I started in the Treasury Finance Intragroup Funding team, looking at internal group funding positions, before moving to Balance Sheet and Statistical Reporting, doing compliance reporting for APRA and government agencies. I’ll finish in the Accounting Policy and Advisory Group, a team responsible for developing Macquarie’s accounting policies.
The rotations on the Graduate Program are a great way to gain experience and skills in a short amount of time. I’ve also benefited from graduate development opportunities like monthly training, networking, social events and volunteering.
Coming from a non-finance background I had a bit to learn, but everyone was more than happy to help. I’ve been encouraged to learn and grow, and with Macquarie’s support I’ve started my Chartered Accountant foundations course."
At Macquarie, everyone’s opinions are respected, no matter how much experience you have. There are many diversity and inclusion initiatives, career development, and global opportunities, and the people have been generous, kind and helpful.
It’s not strictly work. There are lots of social events and the work culture encourages team bonding.
Macquarie cares about career development, so always be open to your manager about your career goals. There is good team support, many opportunities for growth, and you can explore different options within Macquarie in terms of teams, or even globally, over a long career.
Ask your team members if they need help, speak to them about growth opportunities and request feedback. Always have a learning mindset and, most importantly, find out where your interests are and see how you can follow them.
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