Belal Butt

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BMO Global Asset Management

Compliance Trainee |

School/College Leaver

Why do you enjoy your job?

The work in the Compliance department is very varied. As it is such a core part of the firm, I get a lot of exposure to teams across the firm. These varied interactions highlight one of the greatest things about Compliance – you can gain a real understanding of what a firm does when you create contacts across a company.

There is a great deal of critical thinking and analysis in my role. Coupled with the inherent sense of morality that is required when working in Compliance, I have found my traineeship very rewarding.

How did you get into your job?

I am school leaver with A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and French. As you might be able to tell from my choices, I wasn’t initially considering a career in Finance. However, in Year 13 I developed an interest for the industry so I decided to take a gap year to explore my options.

I applied to a number of employers, both within the Investment20/20 scheme and independent programmes. However I settled for BMO (which is short for Bank of Montreal / Banque de Montréal) as I have keen interest in la Francophonie.

What are your future aspirations?

In terms of the near future, I intend to do a degree in Accounting and Finance after my contract comes to an end. I cannot commit to any particular type of work, because there is still so much for me to discover – there are a number of possible things I could do.

The fantastic thing about our industry is that it is a truly global one. Accordingly, I would love to work abroad in countries such as Canada, Brazil and Singapore.

How would you sum up your Investment20/20 experience?

My experience has been invaluable. Had I come onto the scheme, I would not have applied for the university course that I have. Essentially, I now know which direction I want to take my career in. It would be untrue for me to say I know exactly what job I want to have, but I have a far better understanding than last year.

In addition, I’m fortunate to be one of the trainees to have moved to London. I came down from Derby and I have been renting a room and living independently. So not only has it prepared me for the real world, when I get to university, I’ll be able to hit the ground running.