Imad Alarechi

I initially joined Baillie Gifford in the summer of 2021 as part of the summer intern scheme and was lucky enough to get a place in the graduate programme the following year.

Because the graduate programme is rotation-based, it’s allowed me to work with several different departments. This has included the Workspace and Internal Platforms teams, as well as first—and second-line technical support, where I provided troubleshooting services to Baillie Gifford’s employees around the globe.

I really enjoyed the various tasks and learning opportunities available from day one. I had the chance to complete several overviews of different technologies for the Infrastructure Service Delivery Team and worked with the Internal Platforms Team to identify overallocated resources. When I was involved in the project with the Workspace Team to help colleagues migrate from old laptops to newer ones, I was responsible for some of the migration myself.

Another interesting aspect has been being involved in some of the project work relating to integrating the networks for our new Edinburgh office with our existing infrastructure.

Working at Baillie Gifford is not just about doing a job – it’s about developing your skills, building solid relationships with your colleagues and sharing your knowledge. I had the chance to work with amazing people who always made themselves available whenever I needed help. It can sound like a bit of a cliché, but meeting people across the business has been the highlight of my placement – everyone’s been so welcoming.

One of the learning opportunities that stood out for me in this respect was the ‘Make Your Mark’ leadership course, which a specialist coach delivered to all the summer interns. It covered topics such as managing your inner critic, the effect of body language, fight-or-flight responses in the workplace, and more.

I found it an eye-opening experience, covering topics and soft skills that you wouldn’t typically cover in your formal training. It meant that when I returned as a graduate the following year, I wasn’t tripped up by imposter syndrome, which I might otherwise have experienced from going into experienced teams without having much on-the-job experience.

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.