Settled in: Nicola Sibilani

You were already part of our Inter(n)view series several years ago when you were interning at Clearstream in Luxembourg in the Investment Fund Services department. What has changed in your professional life since then?

At that time, I was only a student, but being an intern at Clearstream allowed me to pay my dues and get started in my career. My internship was the ideal opportunity to grow as a person and as a professional. I was quickly given responsibility, and I had the opportunity to work closely together with other departments such as Sales, Operations or Network, as well as with external counterparties such as new clients or transfer agents. After my internship, I signed a fixed-term contract at first, but right after a few months, a permanent one followed in the Global Issuance Services department, where I work now. As you can imagine, my professional life has changed a lot since then, and I can say that the main difference is the importance of my daily responsibilities. 

What tasks and responsibilities does your job entail? 

It is a job that gives you the opportunity to understand the entire lifecycle of financial instruments from eligibility check to distribution. My department is responsible for the efficient and secure admission of many different asset classes into Clearstream’s books. More specifically, my team and I are responsible for the primary distribution of securities and for code (ISIN) allocation into Clearstream’s database. We perform extensive compliance reviews together with our colleagues from the Compliance team, and we act as point of contact for lead managers, law firms and depositary banks during the issuance of securities.

What do you enjoy most about working at Clearstream?

Clearstream is an international company. However, what you should also know is that Clearstream can give you plenty of opportunities to grow in several aspects of your life: as a person, because working within a multicultural environment positively contributes to shaping your personality, which is especially important for young people. And as a professional, because colleagues with different nationalities and backgrounds are a priceless source of knowledge that you can only benefit from. At Clearstream, you get the opportunity to work in close collaboration with colleagues from all over the world. 

You are originally from Italy. What was your motivation for working abroad and why did you choose Luxembourg in particular?

Sometimes it is not easy to live far away from your family and friends, but fortunately we are living in a global world where it is quite easy to move from one country to another – although the current Corona pandemic has made this more challenging at the moment, of course.

During my studies, I spent one year in Spain where I got the chance to meet people from all around the globe, and I realised that an international environment motivated me to do my best. Thus, I sought job opportunities at international companies with international employees. Luxembourg is perfect for that as it is a city in which different cultures meet and highly professional companies are located.

What advice would you give to other colleagues who are considering working abroad?

Now more than ever, the future is a big challenge, and working abroad means improving your ability to take decisions quickly and to adapt to a changing world. It might seem like a tough decision, but after initial difficulties that naturally come with living in a different country, your life will be much better. You will visit amazing places, you will meet people who will broaden your horizons, and you will never forget what you have experienced for the rest of your life.  

My advice is: stop pondering about it – just start applying and decide to work abroad because it is something you will never regret.