Imad Alarechi

Because the Technical Infrastructure placement is rotation based, it’s given me the chance to work with several different teams in the department. This included the Workspace and Internal Platforms teams, as well as first- and second-line technical support, where I helped to provide a first-class trouble-shooting service to Baillie Gifford’s employees around the globe.

I really enjoyed the variety of tasks and learning opportunities that were available from day one. I had the chance to complete a number of overviews on various technologies for the Infrastructure Service Delivery team and I also worked within the Internal Platforms team on identifying overallocated resources. And, when I was involved in the project with the Workspace team to help colleagues migrate from old laptops to newer ones, I was given responsibility for some of the migration myself.

One of the learning opportunities that stood out for me was the Make Your Mark course, which was delivered to all the summer interns by a specialist coach. It was about managing your inner critic, the effect of body language, fight or flight responses in the workplace, and more. I found it an eye-opening experience, covering topics and skills I’ll carry with me for a long time.

Working at Ballie Gifford is not just about doing a job – it’s about developing your skills, building strong relationships with your colleagues and sharing your knowledge. I had the chance to work with amazing people who always made themselves available whenever I needed help. It can sound like a bit of a cliché, but meeting people across the business has been the highlight of my placement – everyone’s been so welcoming.