Mai Lynn Voldum
MSc in Digital Innovation & Management. IT Graduate at Nordea.
WHO?
I was born and raised in Bangkok. I moved here 10 years ago right before the 9th grade, and have lived in Denmark on and off since then. I just bought an apartment on Amager, where I live with my cat.
WHERE?
I was accepted into the Graduate programme at Nordea while I was writing my thesis. I wanted to be a graduate because I had gone straight through the educational system and thought it would be a little early to commit to a position for the rest of my life. Being in a graduate programme gives you the chance to try different things. Nordea has been a really pleasant surprise for me. Even though it’s a very formal organisation, the culture is flat. For the first couple of months, I was sitting right across from my CIO. Everyone will answer your questions – I have yet to be turned down.
Finance is such a fast-moving industry. There are constantly new curveballs being thrown at us, like the changing oil prices. It’s very exciting to wake up every morning and read articles about the stuff I work with.
WHAT?
I’m in my first of four rotations in two years. I have chosen a project management track and I’m currently working in Foreign Exchange. I’m supporting a project and running my own on the side. In my next rotation I’ll be working on the trading floor, so I’ll get to know our products. My job is very unpredictable. You have to be on your toes and be ready for days that are super busy and long as well as shorter and slower days.
Right now we’re upgrading the foreign exchange trading system. This involves a lot of coordination between different parties. We have to bridge the communication between the business people and the IT people. At ITU, I learned to understand the developers. The combination with my communications and business background means that I basically speak two different languages.
WHY?
I did my bachelor’s in marketing and did an internship at an event agency in Bangkok. Things were very manual and messy, so I tried to introduce a CRM system, but people were so scared of the new technology. I was inspired to study how to introduce people to technology without it being such an alien thing. It was always the human aspect that drew me to marketing, and the human aspect also drew me to DIM.
BEST ADVICE
The best advice I got was from my dad. He said “people can’t say yes to you unless you ask.” There are so many possibilities, so build a good network and talk to people. Don’t be scared and be proactive!