My Week at Hope Capital

I recently had the amazing opportunity to spend a week doing work experience at Hope Capital, and I honestly loved every minute of it. The whole team was super welcoming, and I got to learn so much by spending time with different departments. What made it even better was that I wasn’t just watching, I actually got involved with real tasks. Here’s a little summary of what my week looked like:

Monday – Sales

I kicked off the week with the sales team. After a quick intro, I jumped into a presentation and quiz to get a better understanding of what the team does and how they bring in new business.

By lunchtime, I was already sending emails to brokers and learning how to create something called AIPs (which sounded way more complicated than it actually was). Then, in the afternoon, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone by making a call to a broker! It felt a bit scary at first, but it gave me such a confidence boost and made me feel like I was really part of the team.

Tuesday – Marketing

Tuesday was all about creativity with the marketing team. We started with a team meeting and then I was part of a filmed interview with my mum (who also happens to be the CFO, which was kind of cool and kind of awkward at the same time!).

Later, I designed some certificates for an upcoming office celebration using Canva. Once I got the hang of that, they showed me how to use Photoshop and walked me through how they put together their designs and campaigns.

It was so interesting to see how creative and varied the work is in marketing, not just the designs, but also everything they do behind the scenes to keep the team connected, from planning events to charity projects.

Wednesday – Portfolio Management

Midweek, I joined the portfolio management team. They had a lot of meetings, so I helped out by organising and sorting files from the last quarter.

Even though it was more repetitive than the other tasks, I realised how important it is to have everything in order. It gave me a new appreciation for the kind of work that goes unnoticed but is absolutely essential for a business to run smoothly.

Thursday – Underwriting

On my last day, I spent time with the underwriting team, which is the biggest department at Hope Capital. They had planned out a whole schedule for me to sit with different team members and learn about their roles.

The day started with a team meeting where recent successes were shared and ideas for improvements were discussed. I then shadowed different people throughout the day, learning how they assess risk and how their work connects to the rest of the business.

It was amazing to see how differently each team works, sales was really fast-paced, marketing was flexible and creative, portfolio management felt super independent, and underwriting was very structured and detailed. I learned something totally new every day.

What I Took Away

Spending time at Hope Capital gave me such a clear view of what working in a professional office environment is really like. I learned loads, not just about finance, but also about teamwork, confidence, communication, and how different skills come together in a company.

I’m honestly so grateful to everyone at Hope Capital for making me feel so welcome. The experience really inspired me, and I’m proud of how much I learned in just one week!