Prime Brokerage and Structured Products

Required Skills

  • Proactive / self starter
  • Attention to detail
  • Collaborative / team player
  • Critical thinking skills
  • Writing skills

Typical Day

  • 7am: Monitor news, premarket activity & deals
  • 8am: Transact client trades (throughout day)
  • 10am: Research and analysis
  • 3pm: Follow up on difficult trades
  • 4pm: Work on projects & admin clean up
Meet Carmen Lam, Prime Brokerage
Carmen Lam, Prime Brokerage -
Timeline
Why did you pick your program and university?
I had so many different interests coming out of high school, so I felt lost when it came to applying for university. I applied for a variety of programs at different schools and ultimately picked the Commerce program at U of T to stay close to home.
What made you decide to pursue finance once you started university?
I wasn't specifically looking to pursue finance while in university. I didn't really know much about the industry, besides the typical "banker" stereotypes. I had no exposure to the breadth of opportunities that were available in finance. I changed my mind many times in university about what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a journalist, an economist, a lawyer, an environmental policy writer … the list goes on. It wasn't until after I graduated and got to know people who were working in finance that I realized it was capital markets that I wanted to pursue.
What kind of internships or job experience did you complete while in school?
I was supporting myself through university, so I was working multiple part time jobs - whatever fit around my class schedule. I worked at a bank as a teller and later, as an administrator, which gave me some banking experience on my resume. On the weekends I bartended. I also worked at a clothing store in sales and ran their website for a while.
Describe your current role and your typical day.
I'm currently an Associate at TD Securities on the securities lending desk which is a part of the Prime Brokerage business. I don't really have a "typical" day, every day is different and brings new challenges! We primarily work with clients to facilitate their short selling strategies by borrowing and lending securities. On any given day I could be talking to clients, dealing with brokers, coordinating with our risk and operations teams, and working on projects.
What's one piece of advice that you would give someone in high school looking to a career in your field?
It's completely ok to not have a career path planned out right out of high school. Try different things and see what fits!
Meet Alex Szatan, Structured Products

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