Linnea Boestad, a 3rd Year Analyst who interned with Greenhill in Summer 2015, speaks to us about her experience at Greenhill.
What was your background before joining Greenhill?
I am originally from Stockholm but studied Economics with Finance at The University of Edinburgh. Throughout university I tried to gain as much exposure to different industries and professions as possible through networking events, insight days and internships. I did springweek internships at McKinsey, Citi and Barclays and thoroughly enjoyed the type of work and working environment I experienced at the banks. Following a summer internship at Barclays I stumbled upon Greenhill and was immediately impressed by their business model and reputation. Interning at Greenhill confirmed my interest in M&A and furthermore that Greenhill was the best place to pursue that interest, in terms of opportunities and culture.
What is your current role like?
At Greenhill all analysts are generalist, which means that you get exposure to multiple industries and the opportunity to work in teams composed of different people depending on the specific project. The work is very dynamic and as an analyst you are immediately placed on projects and expected to contribute. Thus, the learning curve in the beginning is rather steep but worthwhile if you find the industry exciting and are prepared to work hard.
How would you describe the culture and working environment?
Greenhill has a truly unique culture which is highly focused on teamwork and entrepreneurism. Typically, the teams are small which means that, as a first year analyst, you are given a high level of responsibility from the beginning and quite often will be working straight under a VP or MD. The focus on teamwork is not limited to the London office but extends to all global offices. I recently attended training in New York, alongwith all the incoming analysts from Greenhill’s offices around the world, where one of the main focuses was developing inter-office relationships to encourage collegiality between the various offices.
Why did you pick Greenhill?
Having done internships at bulge bracket banks I was attracted to Greenhill because I liked the idea of working at a smaller firm with a strong focus on M&A and with great deal flow. In addition, I appreciated the generalist focus of the analyst programme and the idea of gaining exposure to different industries and types of transactions. However, what it really came down to was the positive impression I got from the people I met during the interview process, and the exceptional people I eventually worked with during my summer internship. The combination of reputable Advisory services and the culture at Greenhill, made it a place where I can see myself working for a long time.