Alum of the Month

Harleen Kaur Bedi

December 2015

London Program

March 2014 Intake

What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
I studied Business Management in Mumbai, India

What made you apply for the Mountbatten programme?
The name itself. I have had friends who had gone for the program and the feedback was just so good. The whole package of a high-end job combined with studies made me want to apply.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
I worked with Barclays in London. My role was of a project portfolio analyst and I had the opportunity to learn new things I hadn’t had experience of in my previous jobs. Barclays was launching a new platform for project management and our team was primarily working on it, which meant I got a really good understanding of the process. I had an amazing manager/ mentor and she used to motivate me to achieve the goals I had set for myself for that year.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
Receiving an email from Alastair Blackwell, COO for displaying Barclays values. That was the 'cherry on the cake' moment.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
My charity skydive. I still remember how I had mixed feelings before jumping off, but it was the best experience ever.

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship.
Mountbatten is one of the best things that happened to me. I have learnt to be independent, made so many amazing friends and explored the city to my heart’s content. I have learnt no matter how scared you are to make new moves in your life, you should definitely take that leap of faith because until you do it you won't know what great things life has in store for you.

If you could change anything about your internship, what would it be?
Absolutely nothing. Oh! I wish it was for a longer tenure though!

What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
I took sometime off work; spent time with family; directed a short film, and worked with a few NGO's.

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
I am currently working with Barclays in Mumbai in the middle office on equity derivatives. This is again a very good exposure in terms of my career growth.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
Well, career wise I would like to focus largely on the next level. I am working hard to built myself up for taking on additional responsibilities
Also, in the long run I aim to be a trainer/ motivational speaker.
Socially, I will continue doing what I love to do which is giving back to society and might hopefully start my own non profit organisation.