Fiona Byers

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Standard Life Investments

Business Development Trainee |

School/College Leaver

Why do you enjoy your job?

On a daily basis I manage the team diaries including setting up meetings and travel arrangements, and I also help with internal and external events. Coming straight from a school environment I had visions of a hierarchical working structure but this was not the case. From day one I was made to feel welcome and reassured by everyone and the atmosphere is very positive. I was also surprised by the sheer range of training available for employees which has been a massive benefit, ranging from Microsoft workshops to more specific training.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

Since joining, my main role has been to create my own dashboard project which is a collaboration of data and sales figures that I update weekly and use to extract key information in a report which is sent to the team UK-wide. Managing the project challenged my problem solving and analytical skills, but with the support of my colleagues I was able to seek the information and advice I needed to succeed.

How did you get into your job?

I began my career at Standard Life Investments* in 2014 in the business development team. I decided that the cost of further education and uncertainty of employment at the end was something I wanted to avoid. I had previously heard about the Investment20/20 initiative at school and discovered the available trainee position online.

How would you sum up your Investment20/20 experience?

The support network from the start of my career at Standard Life Investments was very reliable, not only from colleagues within my department but also my fellow trainees. It is great to be given the opportunity to socialise and compare experiences with others on the same programme. I would recommend the Standard Life Investments trainee programme to anybody looking to make their first steps in a career in financial services.