Upon completing her university studies in 2016 and taking some time out to travel, Melanie was excited to secure a graduate position with E&P as a wealth analyst.
And now after several years with the firm, she continues to build on her skill set and was promoted to the role of Investment Adviser with the Private Wealth Management team of E&P’s Wealth business.
Majoring in Finance, Financial Planning, and Economics as part of my Commerce degree certainly proved valuable in preparing me to work in a financial services organisation. However, in my opinion, real learning continues to be done on the job. Since joining E&P I have developed relationships with clients, learned to trade securities and formulated investment strategies to help clients achieve their financial goals. And that practical learning is irreplaceable,” says Melanie.
In her current role as an investment adviser, Melanie works in a team alongside a senior investment adviser to help provide personalised advice to clients in relation to their portfolio construction. On a day-to-day basis, this involves the buying/selling of carefully chosen investments as part of the execution of the client’s strategy, performance reporting and maintaining market knowledge by accessing in-house research, listening to fund managers and exploring new investment opportunities.
Melanie says the Graduate Program has allowed her to benefit from working alongside experienced professionals who have acted as mentors and contributed to building her industry knowledge.
“Since completing my degree, additional education requirements have also been introduced to the sector by the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) and the firm has provided financial and other assistance to help with attaining those qualifications,” she adds.
In such a dynamic environment, as a young adviser, I’m excited for both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I know I’ve already learnt so much, but at the same time there is always more to learn – and that’s what continues to keep me engaged and motivated.”