A Day in the Life of a Senior Manager Financial Alliances and Strategy at LiquiLoans

Sure, happy to do that. Gabby, basically, I was working since about 2018 or 2019. I graduated from college in April 2018 and have been working since then.

I've had three roles before joining the business school at UCLA Anderson. The first role was in statutory audit. This involves big companies in India, similar to the Nifty, or the S&P and Nasdaq in the US.

Companies listed on stock exchanges, and even some smaller, unlisted ones with financial statements, hire firms like the Big Four (EY, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC) to review their statements. They confirm to shareholders that the management's financial statements present a true and fair view of the business's affairs over the past year. The goal is to provide assurance to users of financial statements, which is what an auditor does.

In India, the program for this is Chartered Accountancy. In the US, it's the Certified Public Accounting Program. People often enjoy working for Big Four firms because of their respect and prestige.

My second role, after about a year, was at a boutique investment banking firm. It was a subsidiary of one of India's largest private sector banks, focusing on financial sector M&A. In investment banking, you typically join as an analyst out of college or with a year or two of experience, supporting an associate and a team of Vice Presidents.

I worked in mergers and acquisitions. Usually, you're given a "sell-side mandate." For example, if you own a company and want to sell it, find an investor for a stake, or merge with another company, you'd hire an investment bank.

The investment banker would then prepare company valuations, an investment deck, and pitch materials. They'd seek investors or clients interested in buying a stake. As an analyst, your job involves research, Excel, and financial modeling, working on cash flows, and assisting your team with presentations, transaction comparables, and industry research.

Finally, after leaving investment banking, I was always interested in startups. For the two and a half years before business school, I worked at a FinTech startup in India called Liqui Loans.

Liqui Loans specializes in online lending. Investors seeking better returns than banks can invest through them. Liqui Loans finds borrowers, deploys the money, and diversifies investments to mitigate borrower default risk. This can reduce high fees charged by banks and financial institutions, allowing investors to earn higher returns.

There are many interesting FinTech companies. For instance, in the US, there's Robinhood for discount stockbroking. FinTech includes payments, online lending (like Lending Club in the US, similar to Liqui Loans), and other areas. Exploring different companies can be helpful if you're interested in a FinTech career. The US is a leader in the FinTech ecosystem, with many global innovations originating there.

I worked at that FinTech company for two and a half years in strategy and business development. I built relationships with key clients and investors while also developing firm strategy. This included identifying new products, offerings, and marketing strategies for smaller cities, not just metro areas.

Finally, I completed my application and am now a first-year student at Anderson. That's been my five to five-and-a-half-year journey so far, Gabby.