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Investment Banking Analyst at Cowen and Company

Megan Larsen is a Colorado native and graduated from Leeds with a degree in finance and a certificate in global business. After graduating, Megan moved to New York City and began working at Cowen and Company, where she continues to work today. As an analyst in Capital Markets, she works primarily on the equity side and is involved in both the origination (pitching clients to win new business) and execution (interacting with investors during the marketing of a transaction) components of the investment banking process. Megan lives in Manhattan and absolutely loves the Big City and its endless supply of  fun things to do and new places to try out!

How has your experience been working in finance in NYC? It is definitely the big leagues! Like the rest of the city, it is high paced and competitive but that is what makes it so exciting! Being able to work directly with senior people that have been working on Wall Street their entire careers is such a great opportunity and is, in my opinion, the ideal place to start your career in finance. There was definitely a bit of a learning curve and culture shock when I first moved out here (even after interning here), but now I feel well-adjusted into my role as an analyst and my life in NYC!

What is one piece of advice that has stuck with you that you have taken with you in your career? The best piece of advice that I’ve received so far in my career is to pay attention to the way you carry yourself in the workplace and your attitude on a day-to-day basis. When you first start off in any job, a lot of eyes are on you, whether you notice it or not. Your willingness to work, overall demeanor, and attitude/interactions with your peers are all things that people will take note of. Also, as much as working in investment banking and finance is about being smart and analytical, a huge part of it is about the relationships you build, which often last throughout your ENTIRE career. There have been many instances where I’ve seen senior management generate business entirely based on a relationship they’ve had since the beginning of their career. You want people to think of you as not only somebody who is good at their job, but somebody who they enjoy working with and spending time around, because trust me, you sure spend a lot of time with your coworkers!

What is your top memory from the Leeds School of Business? It’s hard to pick my one top memory from Leeds because now that I am out of college, I get very nostalgic about my time in school! If I had to pick just one, it would probably be my senior year when I was a TA for finance & accounting for the business minor program with Tom Nelson and Josh Neil as professors. This was a unique opportunity to be able to help teach introductory accounting and finance to non-business majors, many of whom were new to business classes all together. I enjoyed hosting office hours in the Koelbel building each day, interacting with other TAs, professors, and both business and non-business students. This experience reminds me that even at a big university like ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ, you can always find ways to make it feel smaller and more personal, which is something I definitely found in the Leeds business school.

To nominate yourself or a fellow Leeds alumnus or alumna to be featured in an upcoming alumni newsletter, email LeedsSuccess@colorado.edu.

March 2017