Capstone Graduate Program Q&A

From the Graduate Program to full-time employee, we sat down with Zara Ogah to hear more about her time with Capstone so far.

What made you choose Capstone for your Grad program? 

ZO: I never thought of working in a hedge fund out of University, but I decided to apply to Capstone and see what the industry and specifically the company was all about. After speaking to different people throughout the interview process, and learning about all of the new areas and different avenues that I could be exposed to at Capstone, I was very intrigued and wanted to learn as much as I could. Through my interviews and speaking to various teams, it also seemed like a great place to work and a great place to begin my career.

What was unique about your grad experience at Capstone? 

ZO: One aspect that is unique about the grad program here is the opportunity to rotate around the different business areas and be a part of each team for an 8-month period of time.

Having this time with each business unit allows you to feel like you really are a valued employee and not just a temporary member of the team. While in each rotation, you are able to take ownership of different duties and responsibilities to give you a clear understanding of what a typical day-to-day would be like, along with how the team fits within the wider business. Everyone I came across was always willing to sit down with me and explain things, which definitely helped me to get settled in with each rotation across the business. Having the 8-month time frame really does give you an opportunity to make an impact within the team you are working in.

The set-up of Capstone’s grad experience really gives you a well-rounded view of the business and I personally found that [because of] some aspects of what I was doing in my previous rotation, I was able to understand more on a deeper level in my next rotation because you are seeing the same or similar tasks but from a different perspective. Another aspect about the program, outside of learning the day-to-day, is the different resources we were given to learn about the business outside of our direct teams and outside of our direct duties. For example, we have access to different online programs and we are a part of trainings and talks where senior management speaks to us about the industry and the business. 

What teams have you worked for during your Grad Program and what have you found most interesting?

ZO: I first worked in Operations and then I moved to the Treasury / Portfolio Finance department. I personally really enjoy problem-solving when it comes to the day-to-day work and I really enjoyed that aspect while working in both departments during my rotations. For example, in Operations, finding the cause of trade discrepancies with various counterparties and within the Treasury department, I enjoyed trying to understand what attributed to large moves in margin requirements. So within both teams, I really enjoyed the challenge of delving-in and problem-solving to try to figure out different breaks and complex issues.

How did the opportunity to join Capstone full-time as part of the Grad Program come about? What about your experience at Capstone made you decide to take on the full-time role?

ZO: There was an opening in the Operations team which was within the same coverage that I worked in whilst I was doing my eight months Operations rotation during the grad program. I was offered the role to come back and work with the team on a full-time basis, which I accepted!

Throughout my time at Capstone, which has been just over a year now, I’ve really enjoyed working here and within operations. I really enjoyed the role that I did there within my rotation as a part of the Grad Program. I could not foresee myself leaving the firm anytime soon, so when this full-time role was offered to me, it was a “no brainer” and I was very excited to be kept on!

What has been a favorite memory of yours while working at Capstone so far? 

ZO: I would say a favorite memory is one of the two charity nights that we have had here in London. The charity events are obviously raising money for great causes, which is such a great thing, and then being able to have fun with fellow colleagues and see the competitive side of everyone, while getting together outside of the office was a great experience and definitely a great time.

What is your favorite aspect of working at Capstone? 

ZO: I would say there are two things that go hand in hand. First would be the culture, and I've always said the people at Capstone are very friendly, everyone is open to talk, help out, and it is a very collaborative environment. You see people in the kitchen say hi, have conversations, and this ties into the second aspect that I like about working at Capstone. There are so many opportunities to learn from people, whether it is within your direct team or outside your team. I think people at the firm are always happy to entertain questions – you just have to ask.