Ryan Kim – Standard Chartered had a big impact on the countries I grew up in

Ryan is a 2023 summer intern in Transaction Banking working in the Cash Sales team at the Standard Chartered New York office. Here he talks about what first attracted him to this internship, the personalized approach, and his growth in confidence. 

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Ryan Kim, and I am a senior at Cornell University, where I’m currently majoring in hotel management and also minoring in real estate. I was born in Chicago and largely grew up in South Korea, but I have also lived in Hong Kong and Singapore.

What attracted you to the Standard Chartered internship?

I grew up in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore, where Standard Chartered had a big impact. So, it always made the strongest mark on me as a bank. When I started applying for internships and looked more into Standard Chartered, I hadn’t even realized it was a British bank as it always fitted into the Asian markets so well. That’s what really impressed me, along with its unique business model.

How would you describe working at Standard Chartered?

At Standard Chartered, you get to work in a major bank with exposure to huge deals that only big banks are involved in, but then you still have local experiences and interactions which make you feel like you’re in a smaller-sized institution.

Everyone at the Bank wants to help you learn. Because I minored in real estate, I had a lot of interest in that area and my manager was very supportive of me, reaching out and meeting with the real estate team members, etc. They also allow me to shadow and join their team for some of their projects, which I believe is not very common among other major banks. Standard Chartered internships really put the emphasis on what the interns are trying to learn and be passionate about. That’s a luxury I didn’t feel at my previous internships, so I think Standard Chartered should really be proud of that.

Have you encountered any challenges during your internship?

Yes. The division I’m in often has clients who want to open accounts in different markets, so I need to communicate with teams from Singapore, India, Dubai, and Hong Kong. It’s been quite a challenge to work through a lot of the different time zones, but I’ve had great interactions, and it’s been fascinating.

What’s been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and how did you get involved?

As a Transaction Banking intern, I’ve had a great experience, but one thing I thought needed to be added to my internship was diving deep into specific industries and other teams. I was made aware that our channels team was developing a new feature in their software and were pitching it to our new clients. My manager thought there would be an opportunity to customize this for each client, so I asked if I could participate, and she was happy to help. That’s when I got to really focus on specific areas and markets. It’s been very rewarding.

How will your internship experience at Standard Chartered influence your future career?

I am not a typical hotel management student or finance person. I’m a bit introverted, and I have always been more comfortable with the technical aspect of the banking industry. Networking and interactions have been the harder parts for me. But working here has really made me gain confidence. I’ve made personal connections beyond professional relationships and that’s because it’s been so easy to reach out to people in the office, no matter what position they are in. Most people I contact are very happy to offer 15 to 30 minutes out of their busy schedules. That’s made me improve myself in terms of making connections and skills and I think this is something I can apply anywhere.

What have you learned as an intern that you wouldn’t learn from university?

As a Transaction Banking intern, this is a pretty easy question to answer. Transaction Banking is never part of the finance industry that gets the spotlight in college courses. However, throughout my internship, I’ve come to believe that this department would be the heart and soul of any major bank. This is where banks are able to generate liquidity to finance all the projects that make the banking industry so popular. They are the stable powerhouse of Standard Chartered and I think that’s really impressive.

What inspired you about the Standard Chartered brand promise “here for good” and the work that Standard Chartered does in the local community?

We’ve heard it a lot about different projects, but it’s more personal to me because Standard Chartered has been around in South Korea since the 1960s, and Korea hasn’t always been in the top 10 GDP countries. It’s been struggling a lot, so being able to see that Standard Chartered supports the economy of my nation and is truly growing with it, is very touching. I think that’s why it’s been able to blend in so well with the many local communities it joins and makes it stand out from other banks. It’s a very special and ethically touching mission.

What would your advice be to someone who might feel hesitant to join an internship because they are an introvert or feel intimated?

I would say the best advice would be to share your sincere interest with people around you, and just be passionate about whatever you want to learn. Networking is not a natural thing for me, but I’d say that it’s worth trying to make a personal connection with people, as well as a professional one, to honestly share your sincere reason for joining the industry and see if there is any common ground. I think that makes you so much more comfortable than just talking about work.