Alum of the Month

Michael Gans

May 2014

London Program

March 2011 Intake

What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics from Youngstown State University.

What made you apply for the Mountbatten programme?
Mountbatten offers an unparalleled experience for international exposure and highest quality experience. The program was suggested to me by the dean of the business college who had some prior experience with Mountbatten in the past. After doing some research I decided that it would be the perfect start to my international finance career.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
I worked within the Business Change department at M&G Investments in London, a part of Prudential. My main responsibility was within project planning and coordination. I received excellent exposure to a fast-paced working environment with tight deadlines and efficient team work.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
I would say that experiencing the professional environment for the first time was truly eye-opening. I really enjoyed all of the company hosted parties and events that M&G put on throughout the year.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
I flew to Pamplona, Spain and met up with some other fellow Americans to do the Encierro, or running of the bulls. It was an amazing adventure and a great opportunity to experience some more unusual European culture.

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship.
To any intern who is fresh out of college and beginning their professional career, I would strongly urge you to enter your internship with an open mind and absorb the real-world experience that cannot be taught to you in your college books.

If you could change anything about your internship, what would it be?
I would make the possibility available to extend the internship another year. I understand that with the visa regulations this is not possible. It just feels like once you are finally settled into your position, the year is up and it is time to move on. It goes way too fast!

What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
After completing my year in London at M&G Investments, I moved to San Francisco and worked as a Financial Analyst at a Broker for almost two years.

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
One morning I woke up and found myself dreading the boring work day ahead. I decided at that moment that it was time to move on to something more interesting and fruitful. I began thinking back to our international business courses at Mountbatten to decide where I would want to go in the world that would be both positive for my career as well as interesting on a personal level. I decided to move to India, and after a month of searching I found a business services & boutique investment firm called Total Solutions Group. I manage the investments vertical as an IB Financial Associate in charge of business development and due diligence for new investment prospects.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
Through Total Solutions Group I feel that there is a lasting potential for an extended career both in India and abroad. I would still like to continue my international travel and business to experience the some new cultures and opportunities.