Mentor: Mr. Ranjan Chandiramani

Profession: Senior Manager at Ernest & Young (EY)

Location: Virtual Zoom Call

Date: October 19th, 2020

Time: 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM

Assessment:

As I not only look to expand my horizons in the field of impact investing but also prepare myself for college and professional life ahead, I had reached out and had the chance to interview Mr. Ranjan Chandiramani, a senior investment manager at EY, and talk to him about his career and the future outlook of ESG investment branches within these Wall Street firms. Through this virtual interview, I was able to gain understanding on a potential career path for me as Mr. Chandiramani worked greatly in the technical investment side and derivatives trading while also absorbing information from Mr. Chandiramani about the importance of selecting the right career. Ultimately, I greatly enjoyed this call as it gave me insight into a potential career and has compelled me to investigate what I want my future to look like as a business major.

With this interview meeting, I was primarily able to learn the basic nuances of the corporate world at Wall Street. With long hours and exciting yet strenuous tasks and meetings, Mr. Chandiramani’s descriptions of his early work life has instilled a greater sense of confidence in me regarding my decision to pursue this pathway. In addition, his details about his line of work, specifically working with internal partners in derivative and technical trading, also gave me an alternate pathway to explore. However, by absorbing and analyzing this information, as well as conducting my own primary research upon the conclusion of the meeting about derivative trading, I have found that ESG investing would still be the pathway for me. The reason I believe so is greatly due to my experience with Groundify. Having the ability to make environmental impact on such a scale has instilled the value of leaving an impact for our world, and the ability to follow my passion for finance while generation even greater positive impact is amazing.

On another note, Mr. Chandiramani and I were also able to discuss the importance of choosing the correct pathway for my future. As I discussed my college options with him, the primary takeaway from this conversation was his point that no matter where you go, make sure you pursue what they offer best. As I am deeply passionate about attending the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, he suggested that I pursue finance and no other field as Wharton offers their finance curriculum to the highest standards. The most impactful understanding is that anything you participate in has to offer as much as you offer to that thing.

In conclusion, the biggest takeaways from this meeting were that I was able to better identify what field I wanted to pursue as well as gain another piece of life advice that will aid me in my future. Although I did not prefer the technical aspect of trading Mr. Chandiramani discussed, I believe that is not wrong, as his knowledge and insight may differ from mine, and this conversation simply helped me clarify what field I should dedicate my efforts towards. For the upcoming weeks, I look forward to staying in touch with Mr. Chandiramani and continue seeking his advice as I expand my impact investing skills and decide on my college roadmap.