Global Fellows Spotlight: Eoin Lyons
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Eoin Lyons is a 2019 Finance and Political Science graduate working in Risk Consulting at KPMG. He participated in the Global Fellows Program in 2017 and visited Hyderabad, India. We had the chance to ask Eoin about his international experience and how it has shaped his career.
Could you summarize your Global Fellows placement and project?
During the summer of 2017, I spent two months working for Franklin Templeton Investments in their Hyderabad, India offices. I served on the Investment Compliance and Quality Assurance team, ensuring that investments adhered to country, company, and client guidelines. Over the course of the program, I conducted data analysis of noncompliance trades, updated the policy and procedures, and performed research on the causes of prominent errors.
What were your main takeaways and professional skills gained?
This was my first professional business internship, and I gained a lot from the workplace environment! I became significantly more comfortable with Excel, with interacting with others in an office setting, and with immersing myself in a different work culture.
Do you feel your Global Fellows experience has made you stand out as a candidate for jobs?
The Global Fellows program is a unique blend of professional experience with an international mindset. It definitely has set me apart from other job candidates who may have a similar background to me but lack an abroad work experience. There is something special about having an international opportunity on your resume - it often shows cultural competence, a willingness to try something new, and a sense of adventure.
Why do you recommend the Global Fellows Program to business students?
The Global Fellows Program will challenge you both professionally and personally. You will experience how a global firm or non-profit organization operates, likely in very different ways than you are used to. You will better your professional writing skills, work in PowerPoint or Excel, practice presentations, write proposals, coordinate educational lessons, and more.
Additionally, you will discover resilience and problem-solving skills solely by having to navigate new languages, foods, customs, and places. The personal growth I experienced by navigating the new culture and the planning travel logistics was unmatched, and that summer significantly changed how I interacted with the world.
How did Global Fellows impact your career path?
Franklin Templeton was my first professional business internship and a crucial look into the world of compliance. While investment compliance is no longer a specific career I am entering, I now work in the Forensics group of a Big Four firm, investigating noncompliance. My time in India at Franklin Templeton definitely helped me obtain the internship that led to my full-time offer after graduation.
Did you study abroad after your Global Fellows project? How was this experience?
After my summer in India, I studied abroad in London for three and a half months. I loved both experiences for different reasons. My time in India was challenging due to navigating a completely different culture and experience. I had been to London before, and my family is from Ireland, so Europe was a more familiar excursion for me.
Anything else you’d like to say about the program?
The Global Fellows program offers professional and personal advancement, but there’s another significant benefit that isn’t discussed as often: the community. Each cohort consists of about thirty students who get to know one another through retreats and a preparation course the quarter preceding the abroad experience. Additionally, GF was founded in 2008, so there are a few hundred alumni who can serve as resources for the current fellows in their professional discernment.