Gianluca Menegazzo

I was eager to surround myself with bright young people, and I wanted to sharpen my technical skills before starting to chase opportunities in the financial markets. I must say that I found exactly what I was looking for.

In the three years before joining HEC, I studied Finance in Milan and Sydney. In the same period, I did an internship within Mediobanca's Funds Transfer Pricing Desk and was a sales representative in Oman with Mesca International, a trading company focused in the oil & gas sector.

Why HEC?

I joined HEC for two main reasons: I was eager to surround myself with bright young people as hungry for success as I was, and I wanted to sharpen my technical skills before starting to chase opportunities in the financial markets. I must say that I found exactly what I was looking for.

A Tailor-made Course

The MSc in International Finance is a highly comprehensive program. The first semester is very intensive and well-rounded. The second is less academic and totally tailor-made.  After the first introductory courses, I embarked on the Capital Markets specialisation. Afterward, I completed my curriculum with subjects mostly related to asset management and financial markets. Throughout the year, I learnt from the likes of Federico Sturzenegger (Chairman of the Central Bank of Argentina) and Jean-Charles Bertrand (Head of Multi-Asset at HSBC Global Asset Management France).

At the time of writing, I am working on a research paper on the lithium market alongside a major commodities expert, Jean-Pierre Francois (Head of Trading at ENGIE Global Markets). I am also learning about the transition that is currently shaping the energy industry through the Energy & Finance Certificate.

Growth

The most valuable thing I received from this experience at HEC is self-awareness. The campus life led me to have plenty of frank interactions with mindful individuals who had few difficulties at spotting and making me notice my peculiarities, both good and bad. At the same time, identifying the qualities of the gifted people around me gave me useful hints on how to improve myself.

The beauty of this powerful self-stress-testing is that it happens smoothly and spontaneously on a day-to-day basis. Without even realizing it, the program is finished, you have grown up at the speed of light, and you have plenty of new friends ready to team up to pave the way for your coming success.

What’s Ahead

Concerning the future, I will soon join Citi's Markets division as a Summer Analyst in London. I am thrilled by the idea of testing myself in the financial markets and learning from some of the best professionals out there.

In the longer term, my aim is to be an entrepreneur and fund my own investment company.