In conversation with our intern Jan Willem!
At Orchard Finance we regularly work with enthusiastic interns. In this blog we would like to introduce you to Jan Willem. Jan Willem is in the final phase of his internship and so we look back with him on his internship at Orchard Finance!
Jan Willem, how nice of you to participate in the interview. Can you tell us something about yourself?
My name is Jan Willem Berendsen, I live in Nijmegen and I have been an intern at Orchard Finance since February. Before the internship I did the bachelor's degree in Economics and Business Economics at Radboud University, where I also want to do the master's programme in Corporate Finance & Control starting in September. In my spare time I play football in a student team and recently, partly because of the Orchard colleagues, I have been infected with the cycling virus. I now like to make kilometers on my racing bike.
What appealed to you about an internship at Orchard Finance?
What appealed to me most about Orchard Finance was the relatively small organization, which gave me the idea that I would be involved in assignments more than if I did an internship at a large accountancy firm. This is also what I have experienced; because I know everyone at the office, I get fun assignments from everyone. In addition, I was looking for an internship in the direction of Corporate Finance and the activities of Orchard Finance fit in well with that.
You have been fully active at Orchard Finance for four months now. How do you experience your internship?
I am enjoying it immensely! The atmosphere is very appealing to me and I have the feeling that I fit in well with the group. Everyone is very involved and that makes me feel like I'm really part of the team, even though I've only been there for a few months. I also really enjoy the work, because I get a lot of different assignments that give me the opportunity to see and do a lot. I have more than doubled my Excel skills and have been able to participate in several training courses. In particular a presentation training by Gerben van Driel, in which I learned how to make a presentation interesting and informative.
Together with Thiarah Rosario, you researched the content and consequences of BASEL IV and gave a strong presentation about this to the team. Can you tell us more about the approach and content of the research?
Under the leadership of Eelco van de Lustgraaf, Thiarah and I conducted research into the impact of Basel IV on banks and the associated impact on the financing market. Together we have studied the previous Basel conventions and the reason for this new set of rules. We then examined the changes in the capital that banks are required to hold as a result of the new rules. Finally, we described the expected impact on bank financing to companies. The conclusion is that Basel IV has a significant impact on Dutch banks, as a result of which financing conditions will change and banks may want to focus on other markets.
You will continue your internship at Orchard Finance in the summer, longer than planned! We are happy to have such enthusiastic interns. What was the reason for you to extend your internship?
The main reason for me to extend my internship was that I felt there was much more to see and do. After my extension I started on new assignments that gave me some different skills and knowledge. In addition, I also found it very pleasant to be at Orchard Finance, which of course makes the choice to stay longer a lot easier.
Thank you for your efforts Jan Willem! We are very satisfied with the valuable research and we can already look back on a successful internship period.
Have you become enthusiastic after reading Jan Willem's internship experiences with us and are you looking for an internship in the field of Debt Advisory & Treasury? Click here for our internship vacancies and maybe we'll see you at our office soon!