Glasgow's top financial students recognised

At an awards ceremony in Glasgow, each student was presented with a certificate and a cheque for £500 to recognise their achievements and to help further their career aspirations. The awards programme was established by the IFSD Partnership to highlight the wealth of talent graduating from Glasgow's four universities, prepared for careers in financial services.

All four students were nominated by their individual universities as 'outstanding achievers' from courses designed for careers in financial services.

Michelle Wright, 23, from Edinburgh, achieved a first class honours degree in Finance, Investment and Risk from Glasgow Caledonian University. She is now working at Morgan Stanley, one of Glasgow's leading employers in the financial services sector.

Nguyen Dang Khoa, 25, from Hanoi in Vietnam completed a Masters degree in International Finance at Glasgow University, with a grade point average above 85%. He is now going to pursue professional qualification as a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Julie Alexandra Wilson, 22, from Inver by Tain in Ross-shire, achieved a first class honours degree in Finance from the University of Strathclyde. She is now looking to secure a position in the financial sector.

Maria Anne Hanlon, 40, from Coatbridge, has completed the 2nd year of an Accounting degree at the University of the West of Scotland, scoring exceptional marks in her final year exams. She plans to become a chartered accountant.

Congratulating the four award recipients on behalf of the IFSD Partnership, Tom Turley, Deputy Director of Development and Regeneration Services, Glasgow City Council, said, "These awards recognise the great work being done by the universities in Glasgow and the relationships they have with the financial services sector to ensure a steady pipeline of well qualified graduates to work in the industry. The awards also recognise the breadth and depth of talent graduating from these universities which is, we believe, very reassuring for existing financial services companies in the city and prospective inward investors."

Since its launch in 2001, the IFSD has been developed by a partnership of the public and private sectors led by Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council. Over

£1 billion has so far been invested to transform the previously run down area of the city centre. The District has attracted over 15,000 financial sector jobs from some of the biggest names in global finance including Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Barclays Wealth, BNP Paribas, HSBC, esure, Tesco Bank and Aon.