Intern views – My week with Taskize

Currently working towards her A-levels, Alex is the latest student to enjoy a week of work experience with us. “Deciding to do my work experience with Taskize was extremely beneficial,” she reports. “I was able to meet some incredibly talented and intelligent people, whilst also enabling new connections to be made.”

My name is Alex, I’m currently studying English, History and Politics A-Levels. I find English to be my most passionate subject and thoroughly enjoy the process of writing, and therefore wish to study English at university, with the aim to also do a conversion degree into law.

Whilst already having a rough knowledge and understanding of Taskize as a company, understanding the basics behind their T+1-related products, I did not grasp a full understanding of the logistics and important personnel behind the business until I did my work experience.

Deciding to do my work experience with Taskize was extremely beneficial, I was able to meet some incredibly talented and intelligent people, whilst also enabling new connections to be made. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and I would welcome the opportunity to return in the future!

During my time with the business, I was able to meet members of the product, marketing and financial teams. It was fascinating to hear their respective and different roles and how each interacted with each other. During my first day, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a meeting with Sam Gardiner, Head of Sales, and some senior members of the Euroclear team. It was insightful to see what type of topics are discussed and are important during a meeting. In the afternoon, I was able to join a session with a Tier 1 wealth management firm. Although I managed to take a slightly more adventurous route than intended to Canary Wharf, the meeting itself was highly focused and productive!

Throughout the rest of the week, I had the amazing opportunity to steal an hour of various individuals’ time, wherein they explained to me their jobs, some of the things they do, and explained how the Taskize platform worked.

On the second day of my work experience, I had the delight of meeting Aicha Kebe from the product team and being taught some of the ‘behind the scenes’ goings-on that help make the Taskize platform function and work. She showed me some hypothetical situations and case studies, which she reviews on the daily, to help improve the effectiveness of their product.

I also got to meet her colleague Scott Christian-Lim, who was inspirational on discussing the use of AI, and how Taskize is using AI to enhance instead of hinder productivity. This was truly fascinating to discuss, seeing as AI is becoming such an important and influential factor in daily life, and especially in young technology companies.

This then led me on to my (possible best/most favourite!) meeting with Diederik, the CEO, who led me through an extremely useful workshop whereby we discussed the impact of IQ (Cognitive Intelligence) and EQ (Emotional Intelligence), debating whether EQ is becoming increasingly important in comparison to IQ, deciding that EQ is far more influential and impactful as a leader of a company.

The thing that surprised me the most during my work experience at Taskize must be the sense of community. Comparing to other workplaces, where teams and companies are often disjointed and lack real communication and friendship, Taskize holds an incredibly happy atmosphere. What stood out most was that alongside the professionalism and productivity, there was a genuine sense of humour and camaraderie.

It was refreshing to see that achieving results and enjoying work are not mutually exclusive, making working there seem an extremely enjoyable and happy place. I would certainly want to return to Taskize as the teams and people seem to hold such a healthy and happy work-life balance, enabling for more productive and inclusive work. Another factor that somewhat surprised me was the wide and high-profile clientele, showing how popular and effective the Taskize platform really is.

In terms of future careers, I have made new connections which have enabled me to access possible future pupillages and work experiences. Whilst I still certainly wish to study English at university and convert to law, I am now starting to look into being a diplomat and looking at the diplomatic career, with a family or corporate lawyer being another option.

Overall, my time at Taskize was both enjoyable and educational. I gained valuable insights into the fintech industry, met inspiring people, and developed a much greater understanding of how a successful technology company operates. Most importantly, I left with far more knowledge than when I arrived — and significantly better directions to Canary Wharf!