Early internships, the buy-side and risky decisions... 🫡

Welcome to the TWENTY-EIGHTH episode of The Smart Money Show! This week, we sit down with Pearl Thakrar, whose journey from Warwick to UBS and now London Business School is anything but linear. From first-year internships to the fast-paced world of alternatives and private equity, Pearl’s story is about saying yes early, learning fast, and staying open-minded throughout.

We unpack what it’s really like to break into finance before you’ve even graduated, how to turn short-term chances into long-term wins, and how to prioritise self-growth and academic curiosity in a fast-paced work environment.

Guest Contacts:

Pearl Thakrar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pearlthakrar/

🎥 Recorded: 4th October

Chapters:

0:00 - Intro 🎙️

3:29 - The "Warwick Finance Bubble" & Early Influences 💭

5:14 - Why She Chose Management Over a Pure Finance Degree 🎓

7:29 - Advice for Non-Finance Students Breaking Into the Industry 🔑

10:55 - The Internship Grind & The Power of Networking 🤝

17:01 - How Firms Actually Evaluate Interns (Beyond the CV) 📝

19:32 - The Secret to Converting a Spring Week to a Summer Offer 🔑

22:28 - Inside UBS: Graduate Training, Rotations & Team Culture 📈

28:18 - A Deep Dive into Alternatives & Real Estate Private Equity 💼

31:30 - The CFA Grind: Balancing Full-Time Work & Intensive Study 📚

35:31 - The Big Pivot: Why She Left UBS for a Master's at LBS 🔄

37:53 - LBS vs. Warwick: The Master's Experience 🏛️

40:57 - Master's: Career Accelerator or a "Reset"? 🤔

42:42 - Final Reflections: Proudest Moment & Advice to Self ✨

44:17 - The Biggest Takeaway: "Follow Your Gut" 💌

45:49 - Outro 👋

As always, stay tuned to us weekly as we bring you unheard insights, professional guests and a few laughs! 💚

Check out our work and connect with us here: https://www.thesmartmoneyshow.co.uk/

Please be advised, none of our episodes constitute as financial advice and we will never attempt to do so.