Rhudi Baume-Kennedy
Economics & Philosophy Student, The University of St Andrews
Financial Planning & Analysis Intern – The Edrington Group USA
I was attracted to the programme because of the values that Entrepreneurial Scotland hold, which really appealed to me, as well as the internship opportunities they had available. These values, such as mutual support, cooperation, and entrepreneurial thinking immediately resonated with me and the company I worked for also put great importance on promoting these ethics. In addition, the chance to join a wider network of like-minded and motivated people was another factor. I hoped to take on a stimulating internship while becoming a part of an entrepreneurial community from which I could gain further practical experience and develop my knowledge.
I worked as a Financial Planning and Analysis Intern for Edrington Americas, a premium spirits company, in their New York City offices. A large part of my role was focused on working with alcohol sales data from the South American market to help the company plan for expanding its trade into Latin America. I developed my Microsoft Excel skills significantly in this role but also got to experience new software such as PowerBI to present my findings in a visual format to my managers.
I learned and developed technical skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerBI which I put into practice every day, by manipulating, analysing, and presenting data. I also gained a deeper insight into working and communicating within a corporate environment, which was a crucial aspect of team meetings and presentations
I would say that my most significant learning experiences as a Saltire Scholar came from outside the internship, as living in a completely new place, I learned that I could thrive independently. This gave me a newfound sense of confidence and opened my mind to what possibilities exist in the future. For three months, I immersed myself in a new culture which was completely eye-opening and inspiring to me. Living together with other Saltire Scholars, who I had never met before, was initially daunting, but it became so rewarding as it offered me fresh perspectives on life. After the internship, I then decided to spend two weeks traveling around the east coast of the U.S.A which was an experience that I will never forget.
I am currently in the process of applying to graduate schemes, including one at Edrington’s office in Glasgow. Some of my previous colleagues at Edrington Americas have kindly written letters of recommendation for me and I am hopeful that my positive experience as an intern will strengthen my employability credentials even further. Irrespective of what comes next, my time as a Saltire Scholar has given me a much clearer vision of what I want to do with my career and has instilled confidence in me to go for the roles that I truly want.
Read the rest of Rhudi’s blog on the University of St Andrews Career site.
