20 hours in Auckland: The Beta Alpha Psi 2016 Oceania Regional Conference

What do you do when you only have 20 hours to spend in Auckland? Catch a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Stay up till 3am finishing off a presentation. Try and grab breakfast the next morning at Carl’s Jr to realise it’s closed, and going to Starbucks instead. Attend a conference. Deliver that presentation you stayed up till 3am finishing off. Catch a taxi back to the airport.

This was my whirlwind experience of Auckland, my first taste of what the life of a businessman might actually entail. But why was I spending 20 hours there in the first place? 

Well…a little society called Beta Alpha Psi. 
Well…it’s not really a small society.

Let’s start from the beginning. Beta Alpha Psi is an honorary organisation for students and professionals in the accounting, finance and business information field, providing a forum for collaboration, teaching and professional and personal development. Our society is but one chapter of an international network of other chapters across the US, Australia and New Zealand.

What I was actually attending was the 2016 Oceania Regional Meeting at the University of Auckland, alongside two other executives from The University of Sydney chapter, Lambda Omega, and members across Australia and New Zealand. Throughout the conference, we were all encouraged to ‘Unleash our Potential’ with panels and workshops from industry leaders like CPA, CA (NZ), KPMG, MYOB and BAP Faculty Advisors. These covered everything from business negotiation skills, to industry stories, to even a consulting challenge, all of which bolstered our repertoire of experience and which all of us are definitely keen to apply back in Sydney.

Now, that presentation I was staying up till 3am the night before finishing off? That was an entry into the Deloitte Best Practices Competition that Beta Alpha Psi runs annually where different chapters compete to present their projects and innovative ideas on specific topics. This year, the topic centred on ‘Alignment of Officer Duties’ and the opportunity to share some of the really exciting developments we’ve made in streamlining our society, definitely made up for the lost hours of sleep. What’s better, we managed to progress through to the next round which will involve presenting in Baltimore later this year.

To round things up we even partook in a service event: knitting (or in my case, trying and failing to knit) woollen squares for custom blankets to be distributed to charities across Auckland. It was there that I shared stories, experiences and aspirations with fellow members from Auckland, Wellington and Sydney, a bonding process which transcended any of my expectations of what the conference would be.

Sitting on the plane back to Sydney half asleep and completely drained of my energy I couldn’t stop mulling over the incredible people I’d met, fascinating panels I’d listened to and challenging activities I’d engaged with in just the space of a day. Looking ahead, we’ll be attending the National Conference in Baltimore later this year and beyond that (and somehow slightly more disconcertingly), hosting the 2017 Regional Conference. But for now, nerves aside, I’m just excited to share my experience with the rest of our Chapter and see where and how we can grow. 

Edward Chang

Current student at The University of Sydney Business School and Membership Officer of The Business school society, Beta Alpha Psi 

My Experience at Wellington Management

To many Commerce students, fund management is an elusive industry which often gets overlooked by the more mainstream roles such as investment banking, sales and trading, and management consulting. Over the past 6 months, I have had the privilege of working in a leading global asset management firm and it has been amazing!

Making the decision to defer university for 6 months is not an easy one. However the technical and practical skills I’m developing have complimented my university experience. My understanding of portfolio management has grown exponentially and I am proud to say that I finally know how to navigate my way around Bloomberg.  Every day at Wellington is a new experience and I know that I will utilise these skills further on in my career. 

What does the role entail?
I have the pleasure of working across two different teams whilst being an intern. I begin the first half of my day with the Investment Data and Derivative Services to ensure that securities, benchmarks and indices are priced correctly – this allows Wellington’s investment teams to have the most accurate and timely information to trade upon. In the afternoon, I work with the business development team in the Global Relationship Group. My role there varies significantly from day-to-day – for example, I could be preparing a regression analysis for our funds or researching emerging market stocks that our clients are invested in. I was also fortunate enough to attend a prospect meeting with a client to determine if we could provide solutions in their investment process.

What I love about Wellington?

• Flat Hierarchy: Wellington has a great culture where you have the ability to catch up with senior management to get career advice or gain a better understanding of the firm.
• Individual Development: Analysts and managers will invest their own time into mentoring and teaching you about the industry.
• Early Morning Meetings (EMM): Wellington has a very collaborative environment that is best exemplified by the daily EMM where the firm’s portfolio managers, macro economists and analysts around the world share their news, stock advice and research. I remember vividly my first morning meeting, where the conversation ranged from the Greek debt situation to the crash in the China A-Shares market. Truly this is a unique experience and connects the offices across the world (Boston-London-Zurich-Frankfurt-Hong Kong-Beijing-Tokyo-Singapore-Sydney).
• Exposure: At the Wellington’s Sydney office, you have the opportunity to meet with portfolio managers visiting from all around the world. Often, they run office knowledge sharing sessions where they provide updates of their stock ideas and investment approaches. 
• Health and Well-being: Wellington places a huge focus on well-being with great initiatives like the APAC steps challenge. Employees are given pedometers to compete in global challenges for the highest step count – believe me, everyone gets competitive!

Although my time with Wellington Management is over a short 6 months, it has been an invaluable experience. It’s been a pleasure to work with so many bright people, and I’d recommend the experience to anyone!

Charmian Zhang
Final year Commerce student at the University of Sydney Business School, majoring in Finance.