RBC Investor & Treasury Services

Lavender Yang

Banks, Brokers & Exchanges, Global Client Coverage

What I did:
I had the opportunity to rotate through multiple positions and projects during my term with BBE. I spent 6 weeks in Broker Dealer Service where I independently managed the cash management desk, worked with cross-functional teams to monitor account liquidity, and developed a model to improve the efficiency of the desk. I also worked on several team and independent projects that involved investigating and analyzing revenue leakage, projecting prices and sales, and performing legal reviews. I worked with key stakeholders in my office as well as the London and Beijing offices.

What I learned:
My lessons from my internship are two-fold. First, be resourceful: do your homework and always be prepared to voice your opinions. Meet with people from various teams and incorporate their insights in your own role. Second, be results-driven and work smart. Manage your time wisely and deliver results.

Advice for future interns:
Draw a vision. You are not expected to know everything about the business, but you should be able to absorb the knowledge quickly and have an expectation of what you will learn by the end of the internship. Work towards that vision and ask your colleagues to help you achieve that goal.

"Learn from other people’s knowledge and experience, and use your strengths to make their job easier."

Patrick Scanlan

Trust Accounting, Global Reconciliations

What I did:
Working in an area that has so many different people handling information required me to reverse-engineer problems. This involved addressing the previous stages where information was manipulated and targeting the point where the mistake occurred.

Within Trust Accounting, I worked with Shareholder Services to ensure any outstanding transactions were identified appropriately and escalated for quick resolution. I worked very closely with client representatives to address issues when I came across them.

What I learned:
I learned that showing genuine interest in my work and developing relationships with the Trust Accounting teams helped me understand most issues. Also, being aware of the risks that impact both my and related teams allowed me to excel at my job.

Advice for future interns:
Keep a journal to write down everything you do whether it was a success or a failure.

"I can't stress the importance of asking a question once and having the solution at your disposal in the event that the problem reoccurs."

Courtney Formosa

Project Governance, Business Management & Project Management

What I did:
I managed weekly project review meeting and funding approvals by taking meeting minutes, gathering and distributing material, and setting up meetings. Further, I assisted in the creation of 2017 I&TS Project Budget and analyzed the active project portfolio. As well, I created presentations to assure projects remain on schedule and budget, following up where issues were identified.

What I learned:
I learned to communicate with an international team, strengthened my Excel skills to assist in financial analysis, and to think critically.

Advice for future interns:
Sharp Excel skills are a huge asset. Brush up on different formulas and find efficient ways to use them to stand out when working with large amounts of data.

"A people management role has a lot of dependencies on others and requires a lot of liaising between key stakeholders."

Jack Yang

Corporate Actions, Entitlements

What I did:
My role within Corporate Actions Research involved setting up Corporate Action event notifications for RBC’s clients. I was able to work on both mandatory and voluntary events on two out of the five custody platforms.

Outside of my day to day tasks, I’ve had the chance to take pictures and make videos for our Internship program as well as other RBC-hosted events.

What I learned:
On the technical side, I learned how to read and understand SWIFT messages, which is the main financial messaging language.

From a social aspect, being able to work with one of the biggest teams within the company showed me how to bridge personality differences and to work effectively with many different types of people.

Advice for future interns:
Build, cherish. and respect your relationships. Everything you accomplish in life is a team effort.

"You won’t be best friends with everyone around you but saying hello doesn’t hurt. Put on a smile and introduce yourself."