Project - IPO Opportunities in India; Royal Bank of Scotland

Abstract

During the nine weeks of internship at RBS, this participant got an opportunity to work from 3 different locations - Hong Kong, Mumbai and Delhi. This gave a flavour of the work environment at these locations, which though fall under one roof, had their own unique style and team composition. With above par, accommodation ad travel facilities, provided by the firm, the participant had a very comfortable and enjoyable experience while also learning and contributing accordingly. A week's training from a hired expert trainer, (provided at Hong Kong), common to all Investment Banking (IBD) interns, helped brush up as well as get exposed to nearly all relevant work that could be expected during the course of the internship. Six weeks in Mumbai set the stage for working under the supervision of nearly 4-5 managers, constantly altering every week. Though there was one central project "IPO Opportunities in India", the participant got an opportunity to work on short pieces of research, pitch book development, sector updates etc. which provided significant breadth of exposure. Two weeks in Delhi, working under the direct supervision of the Head of ECM in India, provided a chance to display skills and understand and interact with senior-most people in the firm. Apart from project work, the Mumbai and Delhi team also provided the internship participants to interact with other teams (apart from Corporate Finance), as well as helped network with them over Friday events and drinks. With most members of the Indian team being from the IIMs, the internship also provided an opportunity to connect with people across other IIMs and share common experiences From a pure work standpoint, ample opportunities were given to understand the basics of Investment banking as an industry, the capabilities of RBS in particular, as well as observe and in some cases work hands-on on key ongoing activities such as pitches to clients. There has been good exposure, both from working as a graduate intern as well as by observing and interacting with other team members and the work they are involved in. A tradition of fortnightly Tuesday meetings which involved project updates across the firm, was particularly useful to understand and be up-to date on the ongoing work of the firm.