Shin Wen Yip

Before applying, I participated in one of Baillie Gifford’s online career events, which gave me the opportunity to talk to some of the current employees. From this, I could see how well the company supports employees’ well-being and is interested in their professional development.

The investors take a long-term, active investment approach and that mindset affects the actions of the whole company and how people are treated and interact with one another. So, the business makes long-term investments in your well-being and personal development and doesn’t just focus on what you are doing at this stage in your career.

One of the key things for me has been the learning and development side of the graduate programme. It’s not just technology-related training courses; there are learning opportunities everywhere, such as attending webinars on personal finance matters, training courses on investment concepts and coaching sessions in critical soft skills for professional career development.

During one of my previous rotations, which covered the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) data sources, I started to gain interest in sustainability and how we all can do more as a firm and also on an individual level. This has led me to join the firm’s Environmental Impact Group, allowing me to learn and contribute more in this area.

On a recent volunteering day, I helped a charity dismantle old electronics and separate the recyclable parts. It was a meaningful and insightful experience for me.

With support from Baillie Gifford, I’ve also studied for the Investment Operations Certificate (IOC). This has given me insight into investment concepts and terminologies, and I now have a much better understanding of our business activities and how my day-to-day tasks fit into and contribute to the bigger picture.

On my last rotation, by aggregating the ESG data and putting it into an interface that investors can interact with, I am helping them make more informed investment decisions.

Please note that any references to current teams in bios are as of the time of writing and may not reflect the current situation due to the rotational nature of the programmes.