Neyaz Zaman - BSc Finance, Accounting, and Management with placement year
Neyaz Zaman undertook a placement year with professional services firm EY in the academic year 2023 to 2024. He is in his final year studying BSc Finance, Accounting, and Management.
Neyaz’s role as a Technology Strategy and Transformation Consultant offered him the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of the company’s strategic initiatives and client engagements.
“I played an active role in driving various high-priority business development initiatives, working with senior stakeholders to positively impact the competency and overall firm top-line growth,” said Neyaz.
During his placement year, he undertook a number of transformative projects across various sectors, including Energy, Resources, and Industrials, as well as Government and Infrastructure and private equity. This enabled him to gain new skills and experiences, such as developing a cost model for an international energy generation and retailer client to assess the cost-benefits of implementing a new technology platform. This was recommended for use as a base model for any similar future engagements.
He also automated a manual resource model for a £22 million national infrastructure client engagement, increasing the efficiency and accuracy of resource management and budgeting by reducing the need for manual intervention.
Neyaz added: “I supported a high-stakes pursuit of a £60 million bid, working as the only intern in a team of senior EY and client stakeholders to turn things around within a short timeframe and successfully submit the bid response.”
Other experiences included spearheading the development of a technology strategy proposal for a new market segment and working alongside a partner and a senior manager. He also developed a business case plan-on-a-page for a healthcare client proposal, coordinating with a team of senior stakeholders.
Neyaz said:
My placement year transformed me both personally and professionally. As an individual, it significantly improved my confidence and communication skills as I was immediately thrown into the deep end with meaningful work, collaborating with diverse teams, and knowing that my work truly adds value.
Professionally, I’ve developed a deep understanding of different sectors and learnt to navigate complex business environments in the different types of projects in these sectors. This hands-on experience helped bridge the gap between my academic theory and real-world application, making me a more competent professional and more self-aware as an individual. While any internship or placement is what you make of it, I’d highly recommend placement years to other students as the invaluable exposure, networking opportunities, and practical skills gained from a placement year are unlike any other opportunity one might find while being at university.
