We meet the winner of the Mathematics, Economics and Finance Undergraduate of the Year Award 2015!

Name: Katy Barlow

University: University of St Andrews

Course: Mathematics and Economics

Since winning the Mathematics, Economics and Finance Undergraduate of the Year Award 2015 with Gazprom Marketing and Trading, we've caught up with Katy to find out why she applied for the award!

When I received an email from the University of St Andrews Maths department, with details on how to enter the TARGETJobs Undergraduate of the Year Awards, my immediate thought was how incredible it would be to win.

The application process for the Mathematics, Economics and Finance Award, sponsored by Gazprom Marketing and Trading, was a fairly straightforward online process. It included the completion of a numerical test, situational judgement and OPQ tests, as well as a submission of three essays. The online tests are not something you can really prepare for, and I simply tried to complete them as fast and as honestly as I could. The essays took a little longer, but I felt that I had experiences to draw on.

I sent in the application and was delighted to be contacted and told that I had been selected as one of 14 candidates who had been successful in this first selection process.

The second stage took part in London and involved an assessment day at GM&T’s headquarters in London. The assessment centre included group and individual tests, and an interview with HR managers. Walking into the Gazprom offices was slightly daunting, but once I had met some other candidates and members of the Gazprom team, I relaxed and settled into what proved to be quite a challenging day. Overall, I very much enjoyed the experience and it was a pleasure to meet so many talented people. 

It was not long after that I received an email congratulating me on being selected as one of the ten grand finalists inviting me to the awards ceremony at Canary Wharf. My feelings were a mixture of nerves and excitement as I arrived at the event and whilst we sat down and socialised at a very enjoyable three course lunch, I am sure that all the candidates were very aware that the winners were soon to be awarded. My category was the last of the twelve to be announced and I was thrilled when Chris Jones, Head of Global HR at GM&T announced my name as the winner. It was a moment I will never forget as I walked up to the stage to be presented with a beautiful glass trophy by Fiona Bruce.

I am now looking forward to a very exciting summer internship with Gazprom at their offices in London and in Singapore. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work with a finance team of one of the world’s largest energy companies.

Looking back, I am so pleased that I took the time to enter this competition and make the dream of winning come true. It has been a truly memorable experience and I am very proud to be the TARGETJobs Undergraduate of the Year for Maths, Economics and Finance 2015.

Congratulations again Katy and to all the 2015 finalists!

Fancy giving it a go? Apply here: http://undergraduateoftheyear.com/register

Mark Devine tells us about life after becoming the 2014 Mathematics, Economics and Finance Undergraduate of the Year!

If I was to rewind to an afternoon in November 2013, I was sitting in the lounge of my student house when I received an email from Queen’s University Careers Department. It notified me of the 2014 TARGETjobs Events Undergraduate of the Year Awards and rather than spend another hour sitting through episodes of Pointless and Deal or No Deal, I thought I’d apply. Being from Ireland, a country whose people are not altogether well known for their wildly confident and self-assured personalities, I did so purely on a speculative basis. If was being totally honest with myself, I didn’t think I was in the running to win but it was a fantastic experience to meet some of the best and brightest graduates in the UK nonetheless!

After going through a gruelling assessment process, I was lucky enough to be successful in winning the award in my category and I am currently a week away from moving to London for the summer to work for Gazprom Marketing and Trading. I’ve worked for Morgan Stanley before in Glasgow so I have some idea of what to expect but having never stepped foot in London before the assessment centre for the Award, I am pretty nervous about moving there to live for the summer. Here’s hoping I don’t end up getting lost or trampled on my commute...


Given the fact that less than 3 months ago I was living in the library, studying for finals, it is hard to believe that I’m currently writing this blog from a plush hotel room in Singapore! I am about 14,006 Kilometres (8,702.92 miles) away from my hometown of sunny Belfast (as per Google’s estimations!) and I have spent the last week working out of the Gazprom Marketing and Trading office in Singapore. A man whose complexion is not altogether cut out for the blistering 36 degree heat, I have sought the refuge of the underground train service each of the days I have spent commuting to the office. The first day I spent here, I tried to walk the total distance, an unfathomable stretch of about 700 metres, but arrived in the office disorientated, dehydrated and absolutely burnt to a crisp. If my Gran were here, she’d be telling me God gave me legs for a reason but at the risk of raising my core body temperature to around 1000°C I think I’ll be sticking to public transport until the end of the week.

Ailments aside, my experience here has been fantastic. I’ve never been to Asia before and was worried about the language barrier but frankly people here speak better English than I do - so not such a problem as yet! I’ve spent a few nights out and about at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and try and cram in as much of the local cuisine as possible, it’s pretty amazing how cheap it is to eat well here so it’s been fantastic for someone (greedy) like me.

 This week I’ll be coming to the end of my internship with GM&T this week and do so with a heavy heart! Throughout the assessment process I met some absolutely fantastic friends, some of whom rolled onto the summer intern programme at Gazprom Marketing and Trading. I hadn’t had any exposure to commodities before taking up my post within GM&T so it has been a fairly steep learning curve but I’ve had an amazing experience. I would strongly recommend to any students who have an interest in meeting fantastic people and challenging themselves to apply for the Undergraduate of the Year Awards. I really didn’t think I would go as far as I did and am so thankful that I took the time to apply! I think I’ll be staying in London for the foreseeable future so now just to worry about heading out into the world of work...

Mark Devine, Queen's University Belfast

Mathematics, Economics and Finance Undergraduate of the Year, winner

Think you could be the next winner for 2015? Why not apply here: undergraduateoftheyear.com/maths