TK Lo

7.10 AM

Wake up.

Depending on what I have planned for the day I will dress more formal or less (especially if it’s a Friday).

7.45 AM

I'm really lucky to be within walking distance from the office. At around 7.45 am I'll start walking to work and check my emails on the way to catch a glimpse of what my day ahead of me will look like.

8.15 AM

Finance team training.

Part of being in the Banking and Finance team is that we have weekly training every Friday on a variety of topics. Topics will range from basic finance training focused more towards junior members of the team to current events such as cryptocurrency in the finance space or sustainable finance.

One of my favourite parts of the team is the culture which focuses on fostering learning and development at all levels. Regardless of how long someone has been with the team, the weekly training gives us a chance to all learn from each other leveraging off the experience of all members of the team. Everyone in the team is rostered to help present at these training. Assisting in preparing the content and delivering the training sessions has helped immensely in my own learning and understanding of the topics and training materials.

9.30 AM

Back at my desk with some coffee from the Hub, I usually start by checking my calendar to see if there are any meetings to prepare for or any immediate deadlines. I'll also check my to-do list. I find it helpful to write down my tasks in a physical notebook and cross them off as I complete them.

Part of being a junior in the Banking and Finance team involves doing various 'searches'. This is done during the early stages of the transaction. Any information gathered either feed into how we proceed with the transaction or highlights any items that require some further queries.

Some common questions before a transaction actually take place include whether the company is validly incorporated, whether it actually exists and whether it has sufficient capacity to enter into the transaction. Searches will aim to address some of these questions and provide a level of assurance to our clients.

11.00 AM

After finishing off some sleuthing around a company's constitution and director information on the Companies Office, it is time for a small break with the team.

Described to me as "mandatory fun" is doing a Stuff or Business Desk quiz together as a team. As the deputy Quiz Master the hardest part of my job is figuring out how to pronounce words or names in the quizzes. Usually, we only keep count of the scores above 50% but typically manage to score quite well. Today we managed to squeeze out a 10/10 due to everyone contributing.

11.15 AM

After a huge morale boost from the quiz, the team arrive back at our desks refreshed to handle the rest of the day. Another part of junior work involves drawing structure diagrams of relevant parties in the transaction. An ideal structure diagram would include all the parties involved along with colour coded money flows also shown.

1.00 PM

After connecting the dots for some structure diagrams, it is time for some food. Spoilt by a lot of choices around, I sometimes walk outside without having any specific food in mind. This is a good chance to eat with some great company across the different teams at Russell McVeagh or to catch up with some friends that also work in town.

2.00 PM

After returning to the office and making sure I don't succumb to a food coma, I reach for my second coffee. Sometimes meetings are scheduled around the 2.00 pm or 4.00 pm mark, which refines the scope of our work or gives us a chance to clarify any of the items we discovered through our searches. It has been interesting to be involved in a mix of in person client meetings and online. I think it was around my second week as a graduate that I was included in all the team and client meetings which have helped immensely in understanding the work we do.

4.00 PM

Nearing the end of the day I feel it is important to check my to-do list and either check things that have been completed and update the things to do the following day.

5.30 PM 

Depending on the overall workload of the team, I will try leaving the office around 5.30 pm. I review my to-do list first to make sure I haven't missed anything.

6.30 PM

After a quick walk home, a normal weekday will either be training in Muay Thai (similar to boxing but with knees, elbows, and shins) or a regular gym session. As someone that used to be out of breath after walking up Albert Park in uni, I've made a real effort to try keep up with some form of exercise. 

8.00 PM

I get home and shower before either getting some food on the way back or meal prep from the fridge. Afterwards, it's time for bed and an end to my day. 

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