Nicholas Hayes

Nicholas Hayes, a 2016 Economics graduate, is Vice President at Intermediate Capital Group. After starting at KPMG, he transitioned into private equity roles at S&P Global, Coller Capital, and ICG.

He credits Kent's career services for kickstarting his journey and advises students to explore their passions and stay purposeful. 

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

I joined the KPMG audit grad scheme where I audited private equity firms. From there I pivoted into private company valuations at S&P Global before moving into investment roles in private equity with Coller Capital and now ICG.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Lots and lots of financial analysis, followed by writing an investment memo and presenting this to our investment committee. I also maintain my network within the industry by meeting up for regular lunch/coffee/drinks catch ups.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

I've self-taught myself VBA, which is a computer language that's really helpful in building Excel models. I'm also very proud that I've been involved in creating new training materials for new joiners in all of my jobs.

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

The careers service is amazing - use it as much as you can. Without it, I wouldn't have secured my grad scheme, which set my career on track.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work?

It's never too late to figure out what you want to do and how to get there. Don't do something just for the sake of it.

Did you get involved in any extracurricular activities as a student?

I played a lot of poker with the poker society. I also kept up to date with economic and the public market news, as I found it interesting and they are great talking points with interviewers and anyone else you might meet in industry.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

Collecting my dissertation after it was printed out by the university. It felt like a moment of triumph and signalled that I could put my sleepless dissertation nights behind me.

Outside of studying though, I really enjoyed the end of year festivals!

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

I would give more thought towards having a year in industry. It's really hard to leave your friends behind after second year, but if you can get a good placement it has a lot of career and life benefits - even more so if it secures you a grad job!

Are you still in touch with other Kent alumni or academics?

Yes, but not people I studied economics with. That being said, I have met a few other people who studied economics at Kent before and after my time whilst working, and see them occasionally.

What are your future ambitions?

I've just got a new job, so I want to establish myself there!

Beyond that, I have a few bucket list things I want to tick off this year, including getting a motorcycle license and scuba diving in the Red Sea.