Our people
03 June 2025
Hanieh Ebrahimi credits Macquarie’s supportive environment and CareerSeekers, an organisation that supports refugees and people seeking asylum to start their professional career, for opening her eyes to the possibilities of a career in finance. Now working as an Investment Analyst in Banking and Financial Services (BFS), Hanieh started her career as an Intern at Macquarie while studying a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting.
In high school, I wanted to be a mechanical engineer working in the car manufacturing industry. When applying to university, I broadened my horizons a little and thought, "Why not apply for a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Commerce?" A few years into my double degree I realised that commerce was the area I wanted to pursue as a career.
In 2019, I was lucky to be introduced to CareerSeekers, an organisation that supports refugees and people seeking asylum to start or restart their professional career in Australia. The organisation helped me secure my first internship opportunity with Macquarie, and over the next couple of years I interned with the engineering, accounting and risk teams. I was surprised by how generous my leaders and peers were with their time and guidance. They opened my eyes to the career opportunities available here, including some that I had never considered before.
After completing my internships, I accepted a role in the Risk Management Group. To put it simply, I felt that my colleagues believed in me and my career from the very beginning. Even as an intern, I was empowered to contribute to work that made a difference. It was clear that Macquarie had a culture of people supporting each other’s development and progression, and this was something I wanted to be part of.
As an Investment Analyst, a typical day involves completing operational due diligence assessments across a range of products for potential onboarding to Macquarie’s wealth management platform. This exercise involves reading and analysing company reports, problem solving and concluding the due diligence with an appropriate risk rating. My role is highly collaborative and includes stakeholder engagement with our internal legal and risk teams, as well as external fund managers and responsible entities. I enjoy getting to work on multiple projects, each with a different scope and stakeholder group. This aspect of my job allows me to meet and work with a variety of people, which is really exciting.
A common theme throughout all three of my internships with Macquarie was that I was encouraged to step out of my comfort zone and learn something new. Whether it was presenting my findings in global meetings with senior stakeholders or learning a new technical skill, Macquarie challenged me from day one. There was, and still is, a clear focus on development and setting graduates and interns up for a successful career.
A couple of years into my career, my managers and colleagues continue to support me to grow my skills and expertise. I have access to training and development, including being supported to obtain relevant professional qualifications and attend industry forums to grow my understanding of best practices. Much of my learning occurs on the job and from collaborating with colleagues, but I also make sure I seek out opportunities to stretch myself by putting my hand up for projects outside of my usual work. For example, in my previous role in Internal Audit, I had expressed interest in supporting my team’s director with scheduling, resourcing and budgeting decisions for current and future audits and despite this historically being the responsibility of a more senior person from the team, I was given the opportunity to be involved.
Upon joining, I quickly realised that Macquarie’s inclusive culture is genuine. All the teams I worked with during my internships were so welcoming and supportive, and that’s been exactly the same in my full-time role. There are so many people from different backgrounds, with different levels of experience and everyone’s voice is valued. No matter what level or role, you’re empowered to contribute ideas and make a difference.
Foundation Week is a great example, a week when Macquarie employees are encouraged to give back to our communities through volunteering and fundraising. Last year, my team and I cooked and served a community lunch. I also participated in the Macquarie team for the ‘Sleep Under the Stars’ fundraising evening in support of young people experiencing homelessness in Australia. And the Macquarie Group Foundation rewards employee volunteering hours as a donation to the charities you support. How wonderful is that!
Something that really stands out to me about Macquarie is that there are so many opportunities to grow my career, and I feel lucky to be part of an organisation that supports its people. There are so many examples across Macquarie of people who have moved across teams, divisions, countries, or upskilled or reskilled. I am excited to think about what could be possible for my future.
As a student I remember receiving the advice that ‘hard work pays off’. I believe that is true, but I would add that 'hard work and your network pay off'. My advice to students would be to make the effort to meet people - introduce yourself, show an interest in what they do and most importantly, ask lots of questions. This will help you to find your niche and passion.
Unfortunately for my young high school self, I didn't explore many career avenues at the time. I had set my mind on doing one thing, but guess what? I’m now working in a completely different field. If I could go back, I would tell young Hanieh to have an open mind and be open to learning about different roles and work experiences. This is something Macquarie encourages me to do, and I enjoy reaching out to different people and learning about their roles.
Ready to start your career with Macquarie?
Have a question about the recruitment process or working at Macquarie?
