Investment Society: Speaker Relations

I am a second year Natural Sciences student studying Neuroscience alongside the Mathematics and Statistics stream. Alongside my degree I have developed a strong interest in finance and the investment industry and have enjoyed getting involved in student societies that provide opportunities to explore these areas.

Over the past year I have been involved with the UCL Hedge Fund Society’s Equity Fund and recently won the Hedge Fund Society Equity Research Competition. Experiences like these have shown me how valuable exposure to industry professionals can be for students who are trying to learn more about financial markets and careers in investment.

If elected, I would focus on helping bring engaging and insightful speakers to the society. I would aim to invite professionals from a range of roles across finance so that members can hear first hand about different career paths and gain a better understanding of the industry.

I would approach the role in a reliable and collaborative way and would work closely with the committee to help ensure events are interesting, accessible and valuable for members.

I am standing for Speaker Relations because I believe in the mission of the UCL Investment Society and believe I can drive real impact in its speaker relations branch. Over the past few years I have spent a lot of time building and managing relationships with external partners. As a board member and Head of Public Relations at the Saudi MUN Association and Secretary General of JKSMUN, I negotiated and managed more than 15 institutional partnerships with universities and corporates while coordinating conferences ranging from 700 to over 2,000 participants. I also represented Saudi Arabia on an international panel at the Athens Ideagen Global Summit alongside senior policymakers and industry leaders, which expanded my network to include European government officials, financial professionals, and public sector figures. These experiences gave me a practical understanding of how professional relationships are built and maintained. If elected, I will focus on a few clear priorities: • Bringing more Middle Eastern investment institutions and sovereign wealth investors into UCL events to create consistent pipelines of speakers by leveraging connections across Saudi and GCC finance networks. • Expanding the range of speakers beyond large banks to include buy side investors, boutique advisory firms, and operators building companies. • Making events more engaging through smaller discussions and practical conversations.

I can be the supply to your demand. I'm an Economics student, after all.

I'm Neilson, and I genuinely believe an hour with the right speaker can change how you see your entire career. There's something about sitting in a room with an MD or a fund manager that no lecture can replicate: that feeling of realising the people you want to become are actually accessible. That's what Investment Society speaker events gave me. It pushed me to act. That's how I ended up securing an Investment Strategy internship at Accor Group, getting my first real taste of M&A and project investment analysis. I want more of that for myself and for everyone here.

I've lived across three countries and served as President of a 300+ member club, coordinating speaker panels across very different stakeholders. That experience taught me how to approach senior professionals in a way that makes them want to show up. Getting a top speaker to say yes is about making them feel their time and expertise is genuinely valued. That's a skill I've been building my entire life.

As VP Speaker Relations, I want to bring in more of the people who actually make decisions (MDs, fund managers, PE partners, hedge fund analysts) across different asset classes, so there's something that speaks to every member. More events. Broader coverage. Longer-term relationships with speakers who keep coming back because they actually enjoy engaging with this community.

The best investments compound over time. Let's start building.

Vote Neilson.

Hi everyone, I’m Grace, a first‑year Management Science student. 

I first got into investing by trying to understand how real people make decisions in uncertain markets. I started interviewing investors to write beginner‑friendly articles, and doing research. Those conversations made me realise how powerful it is when you can hear directly from practitioners who are honest about both their successes and their mistakes.

In school, I’ve had a lot of experience reaching out to busy people and turning “cold” messages into real collaborations. Through Compass 4 Careers and my Social‑preneurship and STEM clubs, I contacted professionals, coordinated with non‑profits, and organised workshops and fairs where guests actually enjoyed coming back because things were well‑run and the students were engaged. I’ve learned how to write thoughtful outreach and make sure speakers feel looked after before, during, and after events.

As Speaker Relations officer, I want to use that experience to build a strong pipeline of guests across different areas of investing, from buy‑side and sell‑side roles to earlier‑stage, more unconventional paths, and to make sure we don’t just invite “big names”, but people who are willing to be honest, practical, and relatable for students at all levels. 

If you choose me for this role, my goal is to bring in speakers who not only look impressive on LinkedIn, but who leave you feeling like you’ve gained real insights and maybe even a new contact or mentor. 

Over the past year as a Client Relations Executive, I’ve had the chance to see first-hand what makes UCL Investment Society special: the people we bring into the room and the conversations that follow. The best events aren’t just impressive on paper but the ones where members leave with clearer direction, useful advice, and real connections.

As VP of Speaker Relations, my focus would be simple: bring in speakers who are honest, engaging, and genuinely willing to share what their careers are actually like. Alongside the wider committee, I want to broaden the mix across investment banking, private equity, asset management, and newer areas like fintech, while also making sure we involve more alumni who were in our position not long ago.

Most importantly, I want every speaker event to feel accessible, practical, and worth members’ time.

Hi everyone! I'm Luis, a 1st year Maths student, and thanks for taking the time to read this — I really appreciate it, and I promise it will be worth it :)

Ever wondered how a value investor actually finds an undervalued company? How a growth investor decides what’s worth holding for years? Or how macro and quant investors turn data and global events into trades?

I definitely have, and I’m sure many of you have as well. That curiosity is exactly what first got me interested in investing.

As Speaker Relations, I’d love to bring more of those minds directly to UCL: not just analysts, but senior investors, portfolio managers, and industry leaders who can share how they actually think about markets: their strategies, the mistakes they’ve made, and what shaped their approach.

But more importantly, I’d want these events to feel like real conversations, not just presentations. The most interesting part of any talk is often the discussion afterwards, the questions about decisions, disagreements, and what people have learned from experience.

I’m someone who enjoys reaching out and starting conversations with people in the industry, and I already have a few interesting professionals in mind who I believe would bring a lot to the society. I’d love to help keep building those connections and bring even more perspectives into the conversations we have here.

Thank you!!