My #MountbattenLife

Sheersh Shikhar - London

Living with Mountbatten Trainees and working in London has delivered Sheersh the international exposure he was seeking.

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Name: Sheersh Shikhar
From:
Mumbai, India
Mountbatten Program:
London, March 2018 – March 2019
Academic program:
Postgraduate Certificate in International Business
Host organization:
BlackRock

My #MountbattenLife so far has been a perfect mix of learning, adventure, exploration, nights out and no more Monday blues.


My longing for international exposure led me to London

I had been working at a chartered accountancy firm in India for the last three years. This was mandatory training as part of the Chartered Accountancy course through The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Following this, I was keen to gain international exposure and to work for a big financial services company. Mountbatten Program's combination of work and study made the decision to pursue this opportunity easy.

I felt really positive about my interview with my host organization but that just made me all the more nervous as I was excited about the placement and really determined to secure it. I was actually at the gym when I saw that I had a missed call from Yogini from Mountbatten. Knowing this had to be the result of my interview I immediately left and called her back, hoping it was a yes.

I can't believe that several months on I am now placed at BlackRock and living in London.

Creating a new family whilst far away from my own

Even at the interview stage of applying for the Program there was a sense of community spirit. I truly felt that I was part of the Mountbatten Program family and that means so much to me.

I'm very close to my own family and have always lived with them, so moving to London would be a huge change. From placement assistance to pre-arrival formalities and post-arrival settling in; Mountbatten has been so helpful and made me feel at ease.

The Mountbatten community is like an identity for me, even in my placement.

Being so used to living at home with my family, also meant it was quite nerve-wracking to imagine living with other flatmates. I had no idea what to expect but after arriving here I've discovered that it's no problem at all. My roommate in London is now one of my best friends and my flatmates have introduced me to so many new things and are so much fun to hang out with.

This is an international program and everyone here is from a different part of the world, which makes living with other Mountbatten Trainees so exciting. The Program is such a unique experience, meaning you all understand each other far better as you work, study and budget your way around London.

My placement was home to my biggest London ‘wow’ moment

I am placed as a Financial Planning and Analysis Analyst in the Retail Client Business team and I am responsible for producing various periodic reports and analytical commentary. This helps the business leaders in gauging product performance and understanding the impact on the revenue. Alongside this I am also involved in revenue analytics and generating performance reports for other teams. It's everything I'd hoped my placement would be.

It's also home to my biggest ‘wow’ moment in London to date. I had just arrived for our markets update meeting when I noticed the person sitting opposite me in the meeting looked really familiar. It was then that I realised that I'd just seen him on Bloomberg TV, before I attended the meeting. The guest on that news show had been our Global Chief Investment Strategist and now I was sitting across from him in a meeting.

My advice for those considering the Mountbatten Program

This Program provides an opportunity to learn in a real working environment from the masters in their field, as well as a chance to live and explore not only London but Europe too. Go for it!

Want to know more about my #MountbattenLife in London? Have questions about the Mountbatten Program? You can contact me on LinkedIn.