This year, ING Germany launched the Early Career Group in the Capital Markets & Advisory division in the Corporate and Investment Banking business. In this interview, Ilaria Biondo, Carlos Rivas Morett and their lead Tomislav Zokić explain what the program is about, what it makes special and what the colleagues' day-to-day work looks like.
Can you explain what the Early Career Group is?
Ilaria: The Early Career Group (ECG) is a program within the Capital Markets & Advisory division in ING Germany's corporate and investment banking business. All the juniors in the division are brought together in a group, like a sports team or graduate class. We rotate individually through the Advisory, Financing and Capital Markets & Loan Distribution streams for three years and then start to specialize in a home base. The advantage is that we can take a holistic view through the various stations and advise our clients along their value chain, i.e. on issues relating to strategy, structuring, transformation and, of course, financing.
Carlos: Especially at the beginning of your career, you may not yet be focused on one area. ECG gives you the opportunity to get to know different areas and activities through the various rotations and to find out where our strengths and interests lie. For me personally, this is a valuable aspect of my professional development.
Tomislav, you supervise the ECG as a manager. What do you think is special about the program?
We created the ECG to provide the best possible training for the bankers of tomorrow. Through the interdisciplinary tasks and rotation phases, we strengthen the understanding of the diverse needs of our customers in the capital markets and advisory business right from the start and improve cooperation and the exchange of knowledge between the different teams. This enables us as a bank to identify and promote talent at an early stage. But it also gives the candidates the opportunity to try things out and then decide which career path they want to take. Also, often people simply do not know what their strong suite is. We let them explore!
Describe your working day in three words:
Ilaria: Diverse, challenging, dynamic
Carlos: Structuring, pitching, negotiating
In your opinion, what would someone need to bring to the ECG?
Ilaria: Above all, the person should be curious and open-minded, and be willing to step out of their comfort zone. The Early Career Group can help to define your own career path, but only if the candidates are prepared to think outside the box.
Carlos: Juniors should also have an interest in personal and professional development, be ambitious and a team player. The ECG group is an important support on your own career path. We help each other and try to really live the team spirit of a team, as Ilaria has already mentioned.
What has been your highlight in the program so far?
Carlos: At the beginning of the year, I was able to support a client's major refinancing process and was responsible for the execution phase, which led to a successful closing. That was an exciting experience and my highlight so far.
Ilaria: My personal highlight so far has been the people I've been able to get to know through ECG. There is a very collegial atmosphere within our group, but also within ING as an organization, and you get a lot of support.
Why did you choose ING?
Carlos: I always found ING very exciting because it has growth ambitions, especially in the corporate customer business, and you can see this spirit in the day-to-day work. For me, it's a good mix of ambition and fun at work.
Ilaria: Personally, I liked the culture at ING right from the start. The working atmosphere is very supportive, but at the same time dynamic and modern.
Can you tell us what you would do if you weren't working in banking?
Ilaria: If not banking, I think I would have gone in a completely different direction and pursued a career in music, which has been a passion of mine since I was very young!