Vihari is an equities analyst with boutique funds manager Ausbil Dexia. She completed a BCom., majoring in Actuarial Studies & Finance at the University of New South Wales, as well as a Masters in Commerce specialising in finance, and became an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries in Australia.
How did your career path evolve?
At university I won a scholarship that provided me with three months’ work experience with Colonial, and then I got a part time job as a financial analyst with their strategy and performance team. I was still at university, but it gave me exposure to the industry and made me realise that that is what I wanted to do.
How did you arrive at your current role?
Ausbil was looking for an assistant as a back-up for the equities analyst team. That was in July 2003, and I decided to take the position and go part-time with my masters course. In 2004, I was given research responsibilities, and now cover insurers, diversified financial and consumer staple companies.
Describe a typical day
In the morning we have a meeting where the whole team gets together to discuss the market and individual stocks. Thereafter I might work on a particular stock, building a financial model, researching the stocks key drivers, meeting companies and management and I present my recommendations to our portfolio managers.
What do you like abut the job?
I like the variety and the combination of skills. If I just processed data and crunched numbers, that would be boring, but this allows me to use both quantitative & qualitative skills. There are always dynamic things happening in the market, you have ownership over your work, and I like the communication aspect, meeting successful people and analysing companies. There is a lot of decision making involved, which is very gratifying. You create your own schedule, you are not just doing set tasks.
Vihari's tips:
- You need to get the base level knowledge, being able to read financial statements, and having good communication skills.
- It helps to have a natural interest. Develop your own share portfolio and become familiar with how the market works.
- Try and get some work experience. It’s a small industry, and difficult to get into, so it helps to take the initiative and ask for summer jobs and entry-level work just so you can get the experience and exposure to the industry.
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