Student View: UCL School of Management

In the eight episode of the Student View podcast, co-hosts, Fabian and Lucas are joined by MSc Management student (with a focus on the finance pathway) Divya Surana. Her ultimate aspiration is to dive into the exciting realms of M&A, IPOs, and businesses consulting in the finance industry. She specifically chose to study at UCL because of its exceptional curriculum, offering subjects like mergers, IPOs, and investment management that align perfectly with her career goals. When Divya is not immersed in her studies or professional pursuits, you’ll often find her with her nose buried in a book, exploring different genres and expanding her knowledge. She also possesses a great love for taking long walks, which allows her to clear her mind and appreciate the beauty around me. One area that truly captivates her is the startup world. She finds it fascinating to witness the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit driving these ventures. She has been dedicated to exploring opportunities within the startup ecosystem, aiming to contribute her skills and expertise to fuel their growth and success.

In the seventh episode of our student-led podcast, our co-hosts, Fabian and Lucas are joined by Aleksandr Kazarov. Alex holds an undergraduate degree from Higher School of Economics and University of London, and is now studying the MSc Finance programme at UCL School of Management.Alex has always been interested in Finance. He started his career as a project manager at Citibank and then transferred to a private equity fund where he participated in a SPAC deal. Alex is also the head of events for the UCL’s Venture Capital and Private ate Equity club. In this episode the hosts discuss how the club helps students to understand the intricacies of Private Equity and how the notorious RJR Nabisco deal marked a turning point in the execution and size of buyout deals. In this episode the hosts suggest books relevant to the topic such as "Barbarians at the Gate".

In the sixth episode of our student-led podcast, our co-hosts, Fabian and Lucas are joined by Shagun Goel, fellow MSc Finance student and founder of her own Asset Management company. They discuss international leadership, specifically the interrelation between leadership within the industry and education.  Shagun embarked on her academic journey in the United Kingdom in 2018. She has actively engaged in numerous leadership roles throughout her time as a student and demonstrated her ability to take charge and inspire others. Notably, she founded her own Asset Management firm in India at a fairly young age, showcasing her entrepreneurial spirit. Shagun's dedication extends beyond her academic pursuits, as she has established herself as an athlete on both national and international platforms. Her active participation in various sporting events translates her commitment and discipline shown throughout her early career. 

In the fifth episode of our student-led podcast, our co-hosts, Fabian and Lucas are joined by Maxence-Viktor Liesenborgs, UCL School MSc Bioscience and Entrepreneurship student. They discuss Max's reasoning for selecting such a unique pathway and how she intends to combine her passion for science with entrepreneurship. She shares her top tips for those interested in science to stay in the loop and get exposed to new ideas and build their networks to collaborate and innovate the industry. Max is a Belgian scientist with an entrepreneurial spirit. She has lived in eight countries and pursued a pre-medicine undergraduate in Amsterdam. Being fascinated by innovation in science led her to the MSc Bioscience Entrepreneurship programme, where she became captivated by FemTech. She hopes that through leveraging her scientific and business understanding, she can ameliorate women’s health.

Co-hosts, Fabian and Lucas are joined by Theresa Bloch, the MSc Management Student Representative at UCL School of Management. The MSc Management programme provides is not your typical management programme and focuses on a range of innovations in management practises, something which appealed to Theresa when considering the programme. Theresa is passionate about holistic business practices such as ESG and how best to incorporate sustainability into leadership and strategy. She previously worked for 1.5 years in consultancy and studies International Business in both Germany and Exeter University. Having realised the challenges as well as benefits of successfully integrating innovative or sustainable business practices to support economic growth of a company, she joins our Co-hosts to discuss ESG, AI and responsible Innovation. This episode that encapsulates what is important in the 21st century of finance and management.  

Co-hosts, Fabian and Lucas are joined by Felix Robineau and Thibault Allemandou; co-founders and current MSc Entrepreneurship students at the UCL School of Management. They discuss their latest venture "B-Connect", founded during their ongoing Master's degree. In the second half of the episode, the conversation touches on their experience at the UCL Pitch Day Competition under the umbrella of the Google Accelerator and how they dealt with anxiety during this event.  Both Felix and Thibault, have had past entrepreneurial endeavours that have facilitated the creation of their latest startup B-Connect. Currently, they are in the process of integrating into an incubator in London to further scale and grow their business. 

Co-hosts, Fabian Muller and Lucas Berger are joined by Dr. George Namur, an Associate Professor (Education) in Finance and director of MSc Finance at the UCL School of Management. To discuss the MSc Finance programme and the modern challenges entering the Finance industry. The conversation touches on the value of the MSc Finance programme, integrating modern challenges into teaching and parting words for future students. Prior to his engagement in higher education, Dr. Namur held different roles in the financial services industry, in sales and trading (JP Morgan Chase), advisory, risk management, structuring, and asset management, and has expertise in various asset classes, including fixed income, equities, currencies, and commodities, the latter gained while serving as General Manager at Shell Trading. Dr. Namur specialises in alternative investments (his two modules on MSc Finance relate to hedge funds and private equity) and financial derivatives. Dr. Namur’s passion about markets is what got him to switch from an early career in Civil Engineering, in which he has a PhD, to finance. Dr. Namur also started his own company, Namur Capital Management, and helped launch another financial technology company where he served as CEO.  With his rich background in entrepreneurship and all things Finance related this is one episode not to miss! 

On the first episode of our new student-led podcast, Co-hosts, Fabian Muller and Lucas Berger are joined by entrepreneur and fellow MSc Finance student Shubh Rana to discuss the challenges of multinational entrepreneurship for young entrepreneurs and share their top tips and the benefits of the synergy of studying MSc Finance from UCL. They discuss the changing markets and its subsequent effect on the startup industry. This podcast is supported by the UCL School of Management, however it is a student-led initiative with all episodes developed by the co-hosts.

In anticipation of the inaugural series of the UCL School of Management student-led podcast 'Student View' hosts Lucas Berger and Fabian Muller share what to expect in Series 1.