Dipesh Israni | Nomura

Dipesh Israni currently works at Nomura’s Industrials Investment Banking team since 2019. He graduated with a B.Sc Statistics from Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College and joined Nomura as soon as he graduated. He will be sharing his experience of breaking into IB from a non-premier undergrad college and share insights about the Investment Banking industry in India. Disclaimer: My experience is based upon undergrad recruiting – The recruiting process for postgrads is different.

Interview

How did you recruit for this role? What would your advice be for potential candidates aspiring to get here? (recruiting strategy, cycle, process etc.)

• My advice to undergrad students out there who want to get into IB would be to pounce on every opportunity you can to intern. You will pick up on skills, broaden your horizons and most importantly, network.
• I was on great terms with my boss, who was the CEO of the startup I was interning in. He was kind enough to refer me for the role and I was lucky enough to crack it.
• One key insight : The recruiting cycle starts early. And the earlier you start applying the better. I applied for a role in August 2018 for joining in June 2019

What are the key skills that are required for this role?

Attention to detail, problem-solving attitude, and big-picture thinking

What is the typical feeder profile (typical previous work experience) for this industry in general and for your firm in particular?

Nomura does not prefer candidates with >18 months of work experience. The typical feeder profile in my firm is an MBA fresher from top institutes of the country.

Is there an education path that is preferred for getting a role in this industry?

A quantitative degree in case of undergrads from top colleges in the country (Stephens/SRCC in case of undergrads and MDI/NMIMS/IIMs in case of postgrads)

What is your total team size and what is the typical team staffing on a case/deal?

Total team size is ~15 people and a typical deal staffing would be 4 people

What is a typical day at work for you?

A typical day at work entails sending out daily news updates to the team in the morning, after which I start working on the pitches/projects I am staffed on. Since this is a middle office role and my team is based out of London, usually I have an email in my inbox detailing the next steps in the project which I get from senior analysts or associates. I usually receive a rough picture of what some slides need to look like and my job is to do the groundwork i.e. collect and clean data, research etc and then present it on the slide in a neat manner and hope that is what the senior had in mind

What are your key responsibilities and deliverable on a case/deal?

It varies from deal to deal as every deal is different.  Basically – trading comparables, transaction comparables, competitive landscape, company profiles

What is the typical exit that people get from this role?

A typical exit is a front end role at banks or management consulting.

What are the pros and cons about this role?

Pros

• Global exposure
• High-level peer learning
• Great working culture and environment
• Company that cares
• Building a tight network

Cons

• Working hours can get stretched,
• Zero face-time with the team you are working with since they are based in a different geography

What are your typical work hours in a week (including weekends)?

60-70 hours a week

How do the responsibilities evolve as one grows in this industry into senior roles?

In senior roles (associate) you start holding the pen on the pitchbooks and as you grow even further you start handling clients directly and it becomes more of a client sourcing role

What would be your advice for people aspiring for a similar role?

Start early, build relationships with people and keep trying until you succeed.