Luis Surroca Llorens
Current Employer/Organisation Name
Goldman Sachs
What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?
I completed a Masters at LSE (MSc Management), worked as a Strategy Analyst at HSBC for a 1 year and have now been at Goldman Sachs for the last 2 years.
Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?
I was interested in strategy after co-founding 180 Degrees Consulting Exeter CIC. I pivoted to sales after learning key skills to be in front of clients, but I enjoy both that and strategy work.
180DC Exeter was very pivotal for me in choosing my career and getting good offers, as I know it has been for a lot of alumni.
Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?
180DC Exeter CIC, PPE Society in my 2nd year and football.
What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?
The breadth of it, and how I was able to customise it and choose things I was passionate about, such as Emerging Markets, Chinese politics, and economics specialising in finance. The study abroad was the biggest highlight as I went to Hong Kong and Singapore.
What did you most enjoy about studying here?
Campus life with a city side by side.
Why did you choose to study at Exeter?
Exeter offers a good degree, is a top university in the UK, and I like the campus.
What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?
Curiosity marks the difference between average and great; PPE encouraged that a lot, and let you explore different things.
What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?
Ask questions, talk to people, be strategic in how to start your career to grow certain skills and don’t obsess over a ‘dream job’ – start as opposed to breaking into the industry or going in the general direction.
What are your plans for the future?
A few more years of finance, perhaps specialise in private markets (Private Equity, Infrastructure is quite interesting), but I definitely want to work in a high-growth start-up at some point in a commercially-oriented role with some mix of strategy work.
