Finance Team member Catherine Baugh, describes the impressive development opportunites a career at Coller Capital brings.
Outline the learning and development opportunities from which you have benefited.
Joining as a graduate, I’ve been fortunate to have had my ACA course sponsored by Coller. It’s given me an excellent grounding in the technical aspects of accounting, business management and ethics, which I’ve then been able to apply to my day-to-day work. Training courses in Microsoft Excel and a number of 90-minute ‘soft skills’ sessions have enhanced my professional and personal development. I should also mention my colleagues. They have been very supportive with their time, sharing knowledge and support with on-the-job learning. I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to take ownership of business projects and having confidence and trust placed in me to make significant business decisions.
Thinking about yourself on Day One and about where you are today, how have you developed?
On Day One I was a graduate, fresh out of university, and with limitedconfidence, minimal professional experience and negligibleknowledge of private equity. Today, I am a qualified CharteredAccountant with the confidence to take ownership of projects,effectively manage stakeholders and give presentations to the wholefirm. I’ve developed a sense of professionalism, and have acquired a significant amount of knowledge and experience in private equity, the secondaries market, and Coller itself.
How would you describe the opportunities to grow in Coller Capital?
The opportunities to grow at Coller Capital are virtually limitless if you are motivated and enthusiastic to develop and learn. If an area of work interests you and you want to get involved or if there’s a skill you want to improve or a training course you wish to attend, you are encouraged to put your hand up. The management team do their best to make it happen. You are also encouraged and given the opportunity to push beyond your comfort zone, to take ownership of projects, and to develop accountability, leadership and communication skills. In my three years at Coller I’ve had the opportunity to work in different teams within Finance and benefited from being exposed to a wide range of experiences, working with many different people and developing a real sense of the ‘big picture’. I’ve been impressed by the breadth of internal and external training courses available, as well as the mentoring schemes and inter-department events on offer.