As a business rooted in South East London, we’ve always believed in contributing to the community that supports us.
Last month, we had Leonardo and Kieran from Beths Grammar School in Bexley with us for a week as part of our Through Fresh Eyes work experience programme. The idea’s simple enough: give young people a proper look at working life, and let businesses like ours see what we do through their eyes.
Turns out, that second bit was just as valuable as the first.
What they made us remember
Both students spent the week at our Blackheath office, shadowing the team across advice, client care, and marketing. Their enthusiasm was infectious.
Kieran wrote afterwards that he was “surprised by how much care goes into every client meeting” – how even the smallest financial detail “links back to helping someone’s life run more smoothly.” Reading that hit home. It’s easy to get lost in the technical bits – compliance, cashflow models, projections – but hearing a 15-year-old sum up our purpose that clearly? That reminded me exactly why we do this.
Leonardo, meanwhile, picked up on something else: “Everyone was kind, professional and genuinely interested in what I wanted to learn.” That sense of belonging matters hugely to us at Ginkgo. Whether it’s a new client or a young person walking through the door for the first time, we want them to feel properly welcomed.
It’s about people, not just portfolios
As a business rooted in South East London, we’ve always believed in contributing to the community that supports us. Through our Grow with Ginkgo work – financial education sessions in schools, talks at local community centres – we’ve seen first-hand how powerful knowledge can be in helping people feel more confident about their future.
The work experience programme’s a natural extension of that. We’re not trying to recruit the next generation of financial planners (though we’d be delighted if Leonardo or Kieran fancied it one day). It’s about helping young people understand how communication, teamwork and trust actually work in practice – the same things that underpin everything we do with clients.
What we took from it
We set out to give Leonardo and Kieran a worthwhile week. What we didn’t quite expect was how much we’d get back.
Their questions made us rethink how we explain what we do. Their observations reminded us that even complex financial planning is, at its core, about people and their stories. For a team that prides itself on empathy and clarity, it was good to be reminded how those qualities look from the outside looking in.
What’s next
We’re planning to continue the Through Fresh Eyes placements in the coming months, working with local schools to offer more opportunities where we can. As a small business, we’re mindful that having students with us is a genuine commitment of time when everyone’s already juggling client work. So we’ll grow the programme thoughtfully – doing what we can manage properly rather than spreading ourselves too thin.
Because being part of the community means opening our doors and sharing what we know, whilst also being honest about our capacity. We’re always learning from others – even (especially) those who are just starting out.
If our week with Leonardo and Kieran’s anything to go by, the future of our industry – and our community – is looking good.
-----
*If your school or organisation would like to take part in future placements, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with the Ginkgo team to find out more.*
By Debra Blundell, Co-founder and Head of Marketing, Ginkgo Financial
