Introducing the QSMF 2022/23 Executive Committee
Meet our Queen's Student Manged Fund (QSMF) team for 22/23
The Queen’s Student Managed Fund (QSMF) provides students with the opportunity to manage and operate a real-money investment portfolio.
Students currently manage funds of around £50,000 through one of our Gold Sponsors, Davy Group, Ireland's leading provider of wealth management, asset management, capital markets and financial advisory services.
Meet the new 2022/23 Executive Committee...
Katie Megarry – CEO
I am currently a final-year Finance undergraduate, and this is my third year in the fund, serving this year as Chief Executive Officer. I joined the QSMF as a Healthcare Analyst in my first year of studies to broaden my financial knowledge and during my second year I was promoted to Energy Sector Head.
QSMF has allowed me to connect with an extensive network of like-minded individuals and provided me with a competitive edge during placement interviews., The support provided by the previous Executive Committee was fundamental in securing my role. I completed placement last year with Morgan Stanley in the Corporate Treasury division, and I have accepted an offer to return as a Graduate Analyst in August.
This year, my objective for the fund is to provide an environment where students of all levels can come and feel they are developing their skillset. I am looking forward to returning to in-person meetings and plan to increase the networking capabilities of the fund.
Peter McMullan – Chief Economist
I am currently a Final-Year Actuarial Science student, and this will be my third year on the QSMF. I was CRO in 2020-21 and Analyst in 2019-20. I have just finished a placement year with SCOR Global Life Reinsurance in Dublin, where I was an Actuarial Intern, and I also completed an internship with Davy Group in Belfast. I am excited to be a part of the Executive Committee again, where I hope we can provide lots of valuable masterclasses for the analysts.
Fun Fact: I currently write my own Financial Newsletter, where I write about financial topics and manage a live portfolio! Here it is for anyone interested:
https://www.thesparkportfolio.co.uk/
I am a final-year BSc Finance student entering my third year in the SMF, where I will serve as Chief Investment Officer. In 2019, I started as a Consumer Staples Analyst before progressing to Sector Head in the same team the following year.
I recently completed my Industrial Placement at Morgan Stanley within Prime Brokerage, and I am confident that leveraging my passion for and knowledge of the financial markets in interviews, which I had developed through my SMF experience, was a big factor in my application success. I strongly encourage all students with aspirations to work in investment banks or asset management firms to participate in all aspects of the SMF, whether it's the educational and networking sessions, the AGM, or the Stock Pitching event.
I'm looking forward to my first year of a fully in-person SMF experience, where we hope to provide you with numerous opportunities to connect while also developing yourselves professionally and working together to improve the SMF experience and fund performance.
Chloe McClelland - CRO
I am a final year BSc Finance student and this year I have been appointed as Chief Risk Officer of QSMF. I joined the fund in first year as an analyst within the Materials sector, progressing to Sector Head in my second year.
I believe the experience I have gained through QSMF was a key differential in my placement application and interview process. I recently completed my year in Industry between Dublin and Luxembourg with the firm Waystone, where I worked in Fund Risk and Operations. I believe the tangible skills I developed within QSMF such as Bloomberg and the production of Industry standard reports sat well with me well in my placement experience.
Over the coming year, I am looking forward to amplifying the overall educational value of the fund through providing students with more insight on extended fund operations, structures and regulations in addition to portfolio management. I also look forward to the social and networking events to come this year as we recommence our activities in-person!
Maria Mackle - CFO
I am a current final year finance student. I joined the fund back in 2019 as an analyst in the Consumer Discretionary sector. In my second year, I progressed to a Sector Head role in the same sector, presenting to Davy at the AGM. I then relocated to Dublin and completed a placement year with KPMG in their risk consulting department. My experience with KPMG is particularly aligned to the role of CFO.
By seeing females in positions of leadership in the Executive Committee over the years, this inspired me to really engage with the fund. I hope to use this platform to inspire other young women to not only enter the world of finance but aspire to positions of more responsibility. I am really excited to embark on the journey with the fund over the 22-23 academic year with over 200 fund members - the highest numbers the fund has ever had.
Jason Smyth - COO
I am currently a second-year BSc Finance student with commensurate involvement within QSMF, acting as Chief Operating Officer this year. I initially joined the fund in 2021 as Materials Sector Head with the goal to improve my employability and form an understanding of equity research and economic drivers.
QSMF has offered me a repertoire of skills and opportunities throughout my involvement. Last year, the fund afforded me the opportunity to travel to Dublin with the CFA Institute to research, pitch and compete against other top-tier universities. The commercial awareness, confidence and speaking skills developed through pitching a stock to industry professionals have allowed me to standout within the ultra-competitive investment industry. During my first year with the fund, I got to interview with Davy for a Summer Internship position, and I am continuing to leverage my new role within the fund for placement applications this year.
Going forward, my key objective is to ensure that analysts can develop their knowledge steadily and robustly, expanding upon each aspect of equity research in the trading room sessions. Improving industry specific skills by creating well informed reports and forming connections around QSMF are uniquely beneficial to each fund member’s career prospects.
Further reading