Q&A with Oluwaseun Olawunmi on the 10,000 Black Interns programme
Close Brothers has been a member of the 100 Black Interns programme and the 10,000 Black Interns programme since 2020, where young people from the black community are offered six weeks of paid work experience. In this Q&A we speak with Oluwaseun Olawunmi (Seun), who has been spending time with the Learning and Development team…
What made you apply for the summer internship with Close Brothers?
My mentor introduced me to the 10,000 Black Interns scheme. I checked online for the companies that are in partnership with this scheme and Close Brothers – who I follow on LinkedIn – was one.
After doing further research about Close Brothers, I realised that their Corporate Social Responsibility, mission, vision, goal and culture aligns with what I like to be associated with, which made me excited about the internship programme.
I see the summer internship as an opportunity to learn and broaden the scope of what I learned at university and put it into practice in the business world.
What was your initial impression of Close Brothers?
My first impression of Close Brothers is that they operate in niche markets and are different from the regular banks we know about.
Also, there is a supportive culture with a diverse pool of employees.
After having been here for a few weeks, has your initial impression changed? If yes, why.
No, it’s very much not changed – in fact, it’s better because everyone has been supportive and helpful.
There is little hierarchy - even as an intern, I get to speak to anybody if I need help. There Is a lot of sharing of ideas and processes within teams - for example, during my internship, I have worked with the Talent Acquisition team; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, and the Learning and Development team and I have seen the way they collaborate with other team members, which I feel helps with productivity.
Given what you’ve learned, would you recommend Close Brothers to your friends and family as a good place to work?100% yes, I would recommend everyone I know to Close Brothers.
At the end of the day, everybody wants to work somewhere where you can be yourself regardless of your gender, race or religion in an environment that supports your career, goals and aspirations.
Also, at Close Brothers, people always listen to your ideas and incorporate it. For instance, I conducted research on the Guaranteed Interview Scheme and the feedback I got was really positive. My ideas were listened to and I was treated as part of the team, which was really helpful.
What has been the highlight of working with Learning and Development this week?
Laying out the structure for the vulnerability workshop with Suman Dann and John Juchau. They were happy to answer my questions and get me involved in the whole process, which I am grateful for. I was also given the opportunity to make contributions, which were accepted.
What could we have done differently this week for you?
Nothing - the team has gone above and beyond. I was able to see how the LMS (learning management system) works as well as the GlobalPay, which was really insightful.
What were your overall impressions?
It’s been an amazing experience; I’ve absolutely loved the team and enjoyed every session I had with them. The rotational programme is amazing, the internship programme is well structured, and I feel I matter.
