Starting My Journey at CJC

During the first month of my internship with CJC's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) team, I gained invaluable insight into office life and the opportunity to contribute to real-world projects. Before joining,  I was unsure what to expect and had no previous experience working in an office environment. However, this internship has given me first-hand exposure to professional working practices and a level of familiarity that I would not have gained elsewhere.

CJC is a market data technology consultancy and service provider for the financial services industry. The GRC team helps ensure that suppliers, systems, and business processes operate in a secure, compliant and efficient manner. I have learned how important supplier management and Due Diligence are in helping a business manage risk and maintain strong relationships with external partners. This has given me a much broader understanding of how different departments work together to support business operations.

Putting My Learning into Practice

During my first week, I began a training course through Gatekeeper Academy to learn how to use Gatekeeper, a new supplier management platform to manage supplier information, contracts, and due diligence activities within a single system. I explored the platform's features in depth and developed a detailed understanding of how it functions. I would never have been exposed to without this internship, and have learned far more than what is taught at university.

I took on a variety of responsibilities during my first month, including testing Gatekeeper to ensure the system functioned smoothly and identifying potential issues. This gave me valuable insight into how rigorous the testing process is and the importance of ensuring systems operate efficiently for all parties involved in a contract.

Later, I was updated supplier lists and followed up with Supplier Relationship Managers (SRMs) to ensure the information was accurate and up-to-date before the implementation of Gatekeeper. This was important because maintaining accurate supplier data would help ensure a smooth migration into the new system and reduce the risk of errors. This work significantly improved my Excel skills, as I created tables, dropdown menus, and checkboxes to present information clearly and effectively. As a result, I am now much more confident using Excel and have filled several gaps in my knowledge.

Additionally, I communicated regularly with SRMs to follow up on existing suppliers and assisted them throughout the onboarding process. This ensured that supplier records were completed correctly, identifying missing information and resolving as early as possible. I also helped facilitate one-to-one meetings with SRMs to demonstrate how to use Gatekeeper. These experiences strengthened my professional communication skills, while collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders.

One of the most interesting things I learned was that suppliers are categorised differently and require differing levels of due diligence. The level of due diligence depends on several factors, such as whether a supplier provides software or physical goods, and determines whether they are assigned a Basic, Standard, or Enhanced review. These classifications help the business assess risk appropriately and ensure that suppliers are reviewed at a level proportionate to the services they provide. The due diligence process involves ongoing collaboration between SRMs, suppliers, and the GRC team. Through this, I learned how essential clear communication is to ensure the process runs smoothly, avoiding errors or confusion.

Building Confidence in a Professional Environment

At university, I often learn about business processes and project management in theory, but this experience has shown me how different tasks and teams (such as finance, IT, HR, etc.) work together to achieve a shared objective. Being involved in the supplier management department required me to contact other departments and better understand how the business operates as a whole, rather than individual sectors.

One challenge I initially found was being unfamiliar with a completely new system and how the supplier management process fits into the wider business. At first there was a lot of new terminology (such as SRMs, ELTs, etc.) and information to absorb, but over time I became more confident, and I understood the purpose behind each task. This experience taught me the importance of asking questions and taking ownership of my own learning, making the most of this internship opportunity.

Reflecting on My First Month at CJC

Looking back, CJC has enabled me to contribute to meaningful projects from an early stage with the support needed to succeed. Rather than simply observing or just making coffee runs, I have been entrusted with real responsibilities that have allowed me to develop valuable professional and technical skills. This experience has given me a much better understanding of supplier management, governance and risk processes (which I had no prior knowledge of), as well as the realities of a working environment. I look forward to continuing to build on these skills through the remainder of my internship and learning more about how the GRC supports the wider business.