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Andrew Farrier studied economics at Colgate University, where he also played hockey as a student athlete - something he describes as 'every young Canadian’s dream'. He says completing his internship and starting his career with Macquarie is 'the next best thing'.
Originally from Canada, Andrew Farrier joined Macquarie’s Graduate Program in 2022. He had just graduated with a degree in economics from Colgate University where he also played hockey as a student athlete, something he credits with opening many doors.
“I wouldn’t have ended up in the US, at Colgate or Macquarie, without hockey,” Andrew says. “It opened doors for me and exposed me to new opportunities.”
While studying, he was a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative, bridging the gap between campus careers services and fellow athletes. During his sophomore year, he attended a campus career talk on financial services from Colgate alumni who now work at Macquarie Group.
“After hearing more about the range of careers available, and Macquarie’s culture, I set my sights on a career path in financial services,” Andrew says.
Interested in joining Macquarie Capital, which provides global corporate advisory, investing, development and equities capabilities, Andrew decided to fine-tune his skills and knowledge through a finance-based internship in his hometown of Montreal.
He leveraged this experience to achieve his goal of securing a 10-week summer internship at Macquarie Capital during his junior year, joining the Industrials Coverage team in New York.
“The Industrials Coverage team was a relatively new team for Macquarie Capital, with a feeling of growth,” Andrew explains. “I got to see how teams are built out, be part of creating an identity and figure out what verticals and deals to focus on.”
The internship also provided a taste of what it would be like to work as an analyst.
“The internship coincided with a busy period for capital markets advisory in mid-2021, so I learned a lot working on real projects and assignments,” Andrew says.
Shortly after completing the internship, Andrew received an offer to join the Graduate Program. He says he appreciated that the organisation saw the value of his liberal arts education and trusted his ability to gain technical finance skills.
Andrew re-joined the Industrials Coverage team as an Analyst in August 2022.
With global connections, the team of about 20 people looks after any company in the industrials space, from chemicals to building construction.
“We’re on the relationship side, advising clients on capital raising or mergers and acquisitions,” he explains. “My role involves building trust, negotiating strategy and working on due diligence and analytics.”
“If a company needs to raise debt to buy another company, we will team up with Macquarie’s Leveraged Finance team to help them achieve their goals,” he explains.
Andrew says he enjoys the range of deals he’s worked on and collaborating with other internal Macquarie teams. A typical day sees him meeting with the management team to create marketing or presentation material, working on live deal content for a sale or debt raising, or creating financial models and finalising terms.
We are empowered to think creatively on how we can generate deals or structure them in new ways to find innovative solutions to meet our clients’ goals.”
“Within our strong risk management culture, our deals tend to roll out over a long-time frame, and entail months of work,” he explains.
“There is so much to learn. It’s different each day, and I enjoy that my opinion is sought and valued. It’s the constant challenge, competitive spirit, like-minded people, and personal and professional growth opportunities that excite me,” Andrew says.
As a student athlete, Andrew was involved in outreach programs to local elementary schools. He says Macquarie’s focus on giving back, through Foundation Week and other initiatives throughout the year, resonates with him as a way of making a meaningful contribution to the community.
“It's important and, as an employee, I take pride in it,” Andrew says.
“Macquarie has a distinct, refreshing atmosphere because we are a relatively young, nimble financial services firm in the US with an entrepreneurial spirit that encourages us to identify and realise new opportunities for growth,” Andrew says.
Andrew also credits his sporting experience of playing on a team with providing relevant experience and tangible skills that translate to his current role, where he assists senior colleagues and has the opportunity to lead and coordinate projects with various people simultaneously.
Growing up in sports teams means you experience a range of roles - from being the newcomer and most inexperienced to the most experienced and mature, leading the team, which all relates to the workplace."
He describes his Macquarie Capital team as patient and supportive.
“As a Graduate, this was my first job, and I felt overwhelmed by new information,” Andrew says. “The team really helped me make genuine friendships with people from different backgrounds and strike a work and life balance where I could flourish.”
“My team encourages me to have a learning mindset,” Andrew says. “There’s also a lot of connectivity and mobility between teams and territories.”
Andrew highlights that one of his managers has set up informal weekly training to bring a cohort of Analysts up to speed on technical finance skills and knowledge.
“That’s a real investment in the team, by a busy person,” he explains. “This kind of support, learning, creativity and entrepreneurship are integral to Macquarie’s culture.”
Andrew’s advice to others looking to find an internship in financial services is to network, but also to find out about the group’s day-to-day work and identity to ensure it aligns with your interests.
“You need to be proactive about finding the best fit,” he explains. “By the time I applied to Macquarie, I felt I knew enough about the company and what the job entailed that we could both see it was a good match."
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