Matthew Harris
2026 Saltire Scholar
Group Finance Intern, Calisen
Management and Computer Science, University of St Andrews
My name is Matthew Harris, and I am a Management and Computer Science student going into my final year at the University of St Andrews. I applied to the Saltire Scholars Programme to gain meaningful professional experience, develop my skills outside university and explore how my interests in technology and business could translate into a career.
I hoped to gain a better understanding of professional life, learn from experienced people and gain some clarity on the career paths I might want to pursue after university.
Through the Saltire Scholars Programme, I spent nine weeks as a Group Finance Intern at Calisen, an energy infrastructure company.
I gained exposure to Group Finance, including month-end consolidation and management reporting, while working on several projects. My main project explored the foundations required for reliable AI and agentic reporting automation. I mapped the flow of financial and KPI information from source systems through to management reporting, spoke with teams across the business to understand their processes, identified data, process and control issues, and presented recommendations for future improvement.
I also researched Calisen’s refinancing and created a reference document comparing the existing and proposed financing structures, which I presented to the team. Alongside this, I built a VBA automation tool to update graphs and tables used in month-end consolidation and rebuilt Group reporting P&L tables following a Business Central environment change.
The internship connected both sides of my degree, allowing me to apply technical skills while developing my understanding of finance and business. I also gained exposure to Power BI and Business Central, completed Financial Modelling and Accounting courses through Wall Street Prep, and visited the CMS training academy to better understand Calisen’s operational side.
A particular highlight was discussing AI opportunities directly with the CFO and Finance Director before taking ownership of the reporting automation project and presenting my findings to senior members of the Finance team. Being trusted with this responsibility pushed me outside my comfort zone and gave me valuable experience communicating ideas to senior colleagues.
I also made a conscious effort to meet people across different teams. I arranged conversations to learn about their roles, career journeys and day-to-day responsibilities. These discussions gave me a much broader understanding of the different career paths within a business and helped me think more carefully about the sectors and roles I might want to pursue in the future.
I was fortunate to build strong professional relationships throughout the internship. Darren Walne and Chloe Fearn-Rice provided invaluable guidance, while Brandon Rennet trusted me with a significant project and supported me throughout it.
This internship transformed my professional confidence, empowering me to take full ownership of critical projects, design high-quality deliverables, and refine my skills in Excel and executive presentations. A major highlight was taking the lead on a strategic project assigned to me by the CFO, which pushed me out of my comfort zone and delivered measurable impact.
Learning about my team members' diverse career journeys gave me valuable insight into different roles and their day-to-day responsibilities. Overall, the experience opened my eyes to versatile career paths at the intersection of technology, finance, and business, demonstrating exactly how to apply my Management and Computer Science degree in practice.
I would strongly recommend the Saltire Scholars Programme to any student considering applying. One of the biggest benefits is that it gives you access to opportunities that can otherwise be difficult to find, including the chance to apply for and be considered for overseas internships. This provides a unique opportunity to gain international work experience, meet professionals from different backgrounds and challenge yourself in a completely new environment.
My advice to future Saltire Scholars would be to be proactive. Ask questions, speak to people outside your immediate team and put yourself forward for opportunities that may initially feel outside your comfort zone. Some of the most valuable parts of my internship came from doing exactly this.
I am incredibly grateful to Saltire Scholars for helping make this opportunity possible. Being a Saltire Scholar has given me experiences, relationships and confidence that I will carry into my final year at the University of St Andrews and beyond.