Have you always dreamed of working in an international city at a high-growth, commercially-minded company? In 2008, AlphaSights was founded in a small office in London. We’ve since grown to 900+ employees in nine offices around the globe. Just walking through our London office, you’ll hear up to 35 languages spoken at any given time— we employ 253 people from over 27 countries. London is an epicenter of business with a rich cosmopolitan culture, and a fantastic destination for people all over Europe. Plus, the view of the Thames from our office isn’t bad either. Recently, we sat down with CST associates Laurie Carotenuto from France and Julie Rousseau from Germany to discover their top five reasons for joining AlphaSights in London.
Reason #1: International Colleagues and a Vibrant Office Culture
Laurie Carotenuto
Laurie: The culture at AlphaSights is one of the things that drew me to work here. When I first came to London, I didn’t have many friends in the area, so AlphaSights felt like one big family. I’m always excited to stay late on Fridays and have a drink with my coworkers here, plus we have monthly team events to get to know each other off the desk. The people I work with come from many different nationalities, origins, backgrounds, etc., which helps expand my worldview and motivates me to perform my best with the support of my colleagues.
Julie Rousseau
Julie: I love AlphaSights’ international, dynamic working environment— it’s fascinating to work alongside open-minded people from all over Europe. Across my 15-person team, we speak 8 different languages. You can always find someone who speaks your mother tongue, or someone who speaks a different language you hope to learn.
Reason #2: Immediate Responsibility and Autonomy
Julie: AlphaSights empowers every employee to take responsibility early on in their career. From day one, I was able to interface directly with clients, and as time went on, had the opportunity to lead large projects and manage client relationships. This helped me gain critical skills such as project management and business communication that will help me later in my career.
Laurie: After a couple of months, if you show that you’re interested, motivated, and have the capacity to take on more responsibilities, then people trust you to do that here. As long as you’re dependable and autonomous in your work, then you’ll be trusted to take on initiatives within the firm that will make a tangible impact on our progress. It’s a great feeling.
Reason #3: Fast-Track Career Path
Laurie: Our CST career path is well-structured and fast-tracked compared to other firms, so after a few months you become a project lead, and a trainer after your first year. After two years, everyone has the chance to apply to be a CST manager, which is something you don’t find at a lot of other companies. There are always new dimensions to the role which keeps it rather interesting.
Julie: There’s clear career progression here, so I know exactly what my path looks like. Each week, I’m able to innovate in different ways to execute, make an impact on the firm, or operate in a new client space— these new responsibilities keep my job interesting and challenging. It’s also been helpful to have support from my manager and the Professional Development team to help me understand how I’m progressing, what skills to focus on, and what to accomplish next.
Laurie and her colleagues at an ax-throwing team event.
Reason #4: Career-Accelerating Skills
Laurie: AlphaCurriculum is our blended learning program, which, combined with my on-the-job experience, has taught me professional skills like time management, prioritisation, understanding how to work efficiently, and managing client relationships. I’ve also had the opportunity to deliver training sessions to new joiners and hone my presentation and public speaking skills. There’s quite a lot of collaborative teamwork as well, which has helped me develop skills like leading a team, training new joiners, and managing projects. In addition, working with clients in financial services has made me familiar with how the finance industry works. I now understand the lifespan of a deal, where different types of firms come in, and more.
Julie: There’s a real focus here on building career-accelerating skills early on. I’ve become a much better communicator because I regularly work with associates across the firm, engage experts across a wide range of industries, and manage relationships with a diverse client base. I’ve developed both an understanding of how to work with different cultures and an appreciation for how different cultures approach business. This has taught me how different industries operate across the global economy, which will be invaluable in my later career.
Julie with her team outside the Old War Office after a game
of rounders in St James's Park.
Reason #5: Opportunities Post-AlphaSights
Julie: Through regular, open, and honest conversations with your manager around personal development, AlphaSights helps you achieve career clarity and build skills that could take you into any number of fields. AlphaSights is a springboard for your career in any direction you choose— former employees move on to work in a range of industries, from commercial to more analytical or data-focused roles. That’s what’s great about working on the Client Service team— I have the freedom to choose what door to open later on in my career.
Laurie: No matter what your career plan is, AlphaSights can help you grow your professional network and understanding of international markets and industries. My next goal is to become a manager at AlphaSights — I’d like to develop a bigger picture, strategic vision and set long-term objectives. These management skills are indispensable in any role, industry, or sector you wish to enter after AlphaSights, and I’m lucky to gain them at a young age. I’m sure that working here will open many doors for me in the future when that time comes!