As a whole, my Kiitorata experience was very successful, and I am pleased that I applied for it. The programme was an excellent chance to take a peek at OP’s various businesses and to learn extensively about the financial industry. In addition to my work duties, the traineeship period was made meaningful by meetings with various business divisions’ management and experts, and shared activities. It has been enjoyable to work in an inspiring environment, amidst experts representing different fields. I have immensely enjoyed working at our open-plan office, where we have a hard-working sprit of getting things done.

My duties have been versatile and I have been able to observe the financial industry transformation at a close range. I worked as a Business Developer at OP Markets. My role was like a window to Markets: I was able to work with diverse projects and duties that had to do with currency trade, fixed-income and commodity derivatives and structured investment products. I was pleased to notice that people trusted my competence from day one, and as my competence increased, so did the amount of responsibility I had. It has been inspiring to work with interesting duties, and I have had the opportunity to have a say in them myself, too.

The most memorable thing about my traineeship period has been the chance to observe the process of adopting a new service, right from the start. Right during my first week of work I got to be involved in contract negotiations of a new electronic foreign exchange trading service. After that I participated in project planning and management, and system testing. Next up is productising the service and launching it to OP’s customers. It has been truly great to observe how a new service is built from scratch. This project has taught me valuable lessons, from effective meeting practices to the depths of currency trade. The most important things I have learned are to take on new challenges boldly and to trust my competence.

I can warmly recommend the Kiitorata programme to anyone with an interest for the financing industry and an open-minded desire to learn new things and develop him/herself. In my opinion, the keys to success at OP are the right attitude, boldness and the ability to take initiative. I will continue in my current job in the autumn, and I look forward to new challenges brought by the future!

Jennika, Business Developer Trainee