Mark Swain

Name: Mark Swain

Current role: Associate Director

Department: Investment Management

University: Nottingham

Degree: BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering

I joined in 2005 from a private bank that offered private client fund management, but it was undergoing change after being taken over. The real attraction of Smith & Williamson was the people and forward thinking approach to the business. I’m involved in a whole host of areas right now - from meeting companies, reading research and analysing reports to idea generation and monitoring performance. It’s this variety that has kept my interest in fund management and helped me develop an impressive range of skills.

Launching the new hedge fund was a particularly testing time for me and a project that challenged what I’d learned so far. I really enjoy seeing fund assets grow through new money and good performance, though, so I knew it’d be worth it in the end. And there’s a great atmosphere about the office, so you never feel as though you’re on your own. That said, you do need to be enthusiastic and able to mix social skills with hard work to succeed in an area like fund management.

It’s not just the work I do that keeps me on my toes, it’s also those around me on a day-to-day basis. The buzz of the city and the people I work with, seeing the investment division appreciate making money for clients and the great training opportunities all make me realise this is the right place to be. There are plenty of opportunities to move upwards and sideways, so if you want to experience different areas of the business, you can have a remarkably varied career at Smith & Williamson.