First Annual Babson Investment Banking Conference
This post was written by Chris LoGrippo ’16, Co-VP Marketing of BIBA
“We should host an Investment Banking Conference next year. It has to be big,” said Sid Kapur (Class of 2014) toward the end of the 2012-2013 academic school year – then the President of the Babson Investment Banking Association (BIBA). I do not think he realized what he was getting himself and the rest of the BIBA Executive Board into at the time. How would a bunch of undergraduate students even get in touch with top level executives and other influential people in the industry to speak at their college? Well, I can say we are extremely grateful to former Babson President Len Schlesinger for his help in connecting us with the CEO of Bank of America, Brian Moynihan. This started our race to Friday, September 20, the day of the First Annual Babson Investment Banking Conference. Throughout the summer, we invited many more influential members of the industry, including multiple alumni, to speak at the event. After months of hard work and preparation to make our sold-out event a success, several members of the BIBA Executive Board – including myself – stepped into Knight Auditorium at 6:00AM that Friday morning. The day was finally here, and President Kerry Healey opened the Conference by introducing Mr. Moynihan, who proceeded to engage with Sid in a fireside chat. This unique style captured the attention of the attendees, who were able to ask Mr. Moynihan questions toward the end of his time on stage. The other major components of the Conference were the four Panels on “Trends and Opportunities in Leveraged Finance,” “A Day in the Life of a Summer Analyst,” “Mergers and Acquisitions Process Expectations,” and “Landing a Career in Investment Banking.” The smaller-sized venues of these Panels gave the attendees an invaluable and intimate experience, as they were able to ask questions in a conversational manner. One guest wrote on our feedback survey, “I learned a lot about the day-to-day activities in Leveraged Finance and it really appealed to me.” One of the main goals of the Conference was to educate college students on the industry and to provide them with genuine advice on what it takes to land a job on Wall Street. I personally benefited from the “Landing a Career in Investment Banking” Panel, in which the guest speakers discussed how to make a résumé stand out, how to ace interviews, and what classes to take. Rebecca Shaghalian, Head of International Sales and Execution Services at Goldman Sachs, and a member of the Babson Class of 1991, delivered an attention grabbing speech after the first two Panels. Speaking on her personal experiences, Ms. Shaghalian was able to connect well with the mostly young, college-age guests. Networking was easy and convenient, as many guests were able to ask questions after the Panels and during the Networking Session at the end of the Conference. Overall, the Conference provided many with insight into the investment banking industry and sparked interesting conversations on the Panel topics. The attendees, including BIBA Members, students from other universities, and Babson alumni, left with a sense of fulfillment and a deeper appreciation for investment banking. The gorgeous sunny day only added to the positive experience. The Babson Investment Banking Association is already beginning to plan the Second Annual Babson Investment Banking Conference, and although we know we have a lot of work ahead of us, being able to hold another Conference of this magnitude on the Babson campus will make it all worth it.