Meet Ellen Rowe, Incoming Analyst at Lazard

What were your key experiences during your industrial placement at Lazard?

Getting to experience working on multiple live M&A deals at the same time and balancing my workload with other commitments was a huge opportunity that provided challenge but pushed me to grow further. Working with differing seniorities within my team and even working closely with my managing director at times was another experience I will forever be truly grateful for!

What are the main skills you learned during your placement? 

In August 2023, I completed my 12-month industrial placement in the Real Estate team within Lazard's Financial Advisory office. During my time at Lazard, I was able to develop my own skillset of both technical and soft skills through supporting my team in their financial and strategic advice. I aided my colleagues in live mandate and marketing projects, and I learnt extensively from their expert knowledge on building client relationships.

How would you describe the culture at Lazard? 

From the first day of entering into your team, you feel part of the group, with a huge range of learning opportunities and vast research facilities. I have enjoyed completing assignments for my team that create material differences and seeing the detailed processes behind each M&A deal.

The culture at Lazard is unique and provides an environment that is supportive but also challenging and efficient. Their grounding principle of excellence is clear from day one in the firm and to become part of that is very inspiring.

What is your top piece of advice for prospective candidates?

In the application process, try to be as natural as possible because whilst Lazard are looking for the right fit for their company, you must also try to find the right fit for your career. Lazard is a global business that very much prioritises their human capital and so they are looking for good communicators as well as technical skills. Strong financial knowledge is always a good addition to your skillset for the job, but definitely not a necessity. Don't worry about not knowing everything about investment banking!

What has been your greatest achievement during your placement at Lazard? 

I think my greatest achievement at Lazard was being asked to lead the learning sessions for the summer interns and new members of my group on a particular client document for which I had become a core member of the team, and which utilized many aspects of the job that I had learnt across my year. It was a full-circle moment to reflect on how much I had learnt and how far my skillset had grown.