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Following the culmination of this year’s TARGETjobs Undergraduate of the Year awards, First Names Group is pleased to announce that ‘One to Watch’ winner Alex Stickler will be joining its Jersey team as an intern this summer.
Now in its eighth year, the Undergraduate of the Year is a high-profile annual awards competition recognising the UK’s best undergraduate students, with 12 prestigious awards each sponsored by a prominent graduate recruiter. New for 2017, First Names Group created the ‘One to Watch’ award category, which looks for undergraduates who are not only high achievers but have the characteristics that suit the Group’s unique internal culture: they must be entrepreneurial, resourceful, collaborative and generally not afraid to shake things up.
In return, the winner receives a paid internship with the international trust, fund, real estate and corporate services business – including a trip to Hong Kong.
A team of ‘First Names’ joined the cream of the UK’s undergraduate talent pool for the awards ceremony in London on Friday 21 April, alongside leading brands such as Barclays, Rolls Royce, L’Oréal, Mars and Deutsche Bank. The One to Watch was the final award of the afternoon and First Names Group’s CEO, Mark Pesco, joined event host Konnie Huq on stage to announce the winner. Revealed as the first ever Undergraduate of the Year ‘One to Watch’ was Alex Stickler, an economics and finance undergraduate studying at Cardiff University.
This moment marked the climax of an almost year-long activity which saw First Names Group’s HR team scrutinise over 250 applications, review 50 candidate videos and put 15 hopefuls through their paces during an intensive day-long assessment before selecting 10 finalists. Leading the charge on the initiative was Helen Baxter, First Names Group’s Head of Talent Management. She commented:
“Undergraduate of the Year has been a fantastic experience for us, flying the flag for the fiduciary sector and placing First Names Group firmly on the map as an employer of choice for graduates. We were so impressed by the quantity and calibre of applicants and are delighted to have Alex as our winner. Our finalists were all excellent and should be incredibly proud of themselves, but Alex stood out for having consistently impressed the team throughout the process. He was keen and hungry for success, and possessed what we believe are all the right personality traits to fit into the First Names Group culture. Well done Alex – we look forward to having you as a ‘First Name’!”
Notably, First Names Group was the only award sponsor offering a work placement in the Channel Islands. Alex will join the Group’s Jersey head office this summer for a structured internship that will also include a week in Hong Kong working with the local team in the vibrant Central district of Hong Kong Island.
