Naoko

My educational path is a little unique for someone in this industry. I studied Pharmacy and Neurobiology at my university and considered working as a scientist at a pharmaceutical company but decided I wanted a career that allowed me to experience more of society and work internationally.

At that time, I visited a campus recruiting event that Goldman Sachs was attending and discovered how the finance industry is full of interesting career opportunities. After that, I visited numerous foreign investment banks in Japan, but in the end I chose Goldman Sachs for several reasons. The firm’s commitment to diversity and support for women, the high calibre of people I met throughout the interview process and the firm’s global presence appealed to me the most.

When I first came to the firm I was extremely impressed by the speed with which all transactions were conducted. Everything was much more fast-paced than I had imagined and there was always action on the floor making it quite an exciting environment.