We know that EFG’s long-term success depends on our ability to satisfy the needs of our clients, offering expert advice and tailored solutions to help them reach their financial goals. To achieve this, we require a team of experienced professionals with an entrepreneurial mindset who can create value and build lasting relationships with our clients. At the same time, we recognise the key contribution that younger professionals make to the success of our business by bringing fresh insights and perspectives – helping us understand the distinctive needs and aspirations of the Next Generation in a fast-changing world.
As part of our efforts to maintain a pipeline of future talent, we have established partnerships with a number of leading academic institutions. In our Swiss home market, for example, EFG supports scholarship programmes that empower young entrepreneurial minds and foster innovation within the finance industry. We currently fund four scholarships on the Master in Quantitative Finance degree programme offered by the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. We also support the “Women in Finance” scholarship at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) that provides funding for one exceptional female student per year to pursue a Master’s in Financial Engineering.
EFG additionally engages in campus outreach activities – such as hosting events at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) to position our company as an attractive employer, identify high-potential students interested in a career in finance and showcase our Graduate Programme.
Fostering entrepreneurship and innovation
Our connections to renowned academic institutions also extend to the UK, where EFG partners with the King’s Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) at the University of Cambridge to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2024, this collaboration included supporting six postgraduate students from underrepresented groups with scholarships. And in recent years, senior representatives from EFG have participated in EFG-branded events at the University of Cambridge on subjects ranging from ESG to entrepreneurial thinking in banking. Together, these engagements help to build important bridges between the world of academia and our industry.
Stepping into the shoes of a banker
Based on the belief that it is never too early to foster an understanding of finance among young people, we undertake a number of initiatives to support the Next Generation in acquiring core skills. “EFG St. Moritz Investment Education Day” – held at the EFG Academy in Lugano – is just one example.
Stephan Uebersax, Head of Private Banking in St. Moritz, and his team have been organising an annual “Investment Education Day” event in collaboration with the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz boarding school in St. Moritz for around a decade. Using innovative approaches, the Private Banking team from EFG introduces final year students to the fundamentals of finance in a way that is both informative and engaging (see image gallery below). For example, the students take a deep dive into balanced portfolio theory and discover the differences between equities, bonds, commodities and alternative investments. They are also offered a glimpse behind the scenes with a visit to EFG’s trading floor in Lugano and the vault. The programme is additionally designed to give students the chance to step into the shoes of a banker for a day and consider whether they might later want to pursue a career in finance.
Alongside this successful longstanding collaboration, EFG has a close partnership with Le Rosey board school in Rolle and Gstaad, where it last year held a popular “EFG Finance Day” workshop and presented the EFG Award for Best Graduate in Economics. EFG sees these bank-school events as an effective way of imparting knowledge and skills and of building relationships and networks – empowering the Next Generation to actively shape their own financial future.
Fostering young talent – getting fit for the future
EFG remains committed to attracting young talent, developing future financial professionals and strengthening our reputation as an employer of choice by maintaining strong ties with universities and actively engaging with a wide-range of students. We do so based on our conviction that investing in the next generation of talent is the most effective way to drive continuity, innovation and resilience in a rapidly changing industry landscape.
