2022–2023 WCM Annual General Meeting

Recapped by Caleb Guo

Welcome back to the WCM Blog! Over the next year, the WCM blog will cover all educationals, interviews, and important events that WCM presents! For today, we are summarizing the Annual General Meeting, including what you can expect from this year, an introduction to the team, and more!

WCM’s Platform & Mission

Originally established as the Western Sales and Trading Club in 2001, WCM has undergone a vast transformation over the past 20 years, expanding into international trips and conferences on its way to become one of Western’s largest clubs.

Today, our integrated development platform is delivered by 7 portfolios employing over 25 executives.

• 400 Active Members
• 21 Years Running
• 4000+ Working Alumni
• Led by Co-Presidents Gabrielle Lam and Akul Shah
• Notable alumni success includes Evercore, Morgan Stanley, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, and more!

Our mission is to educate, develop, and provide real-world opportunities for our members to explain and thrive in the world of high finance.

WCM’s Events

1. Attend our Educational Seminars
2. Join our Mentorship Program
3. Attend our International Career Development Trips
4. Attend our Intensive Recruiting Workshops

Educational Seminars

• Designed to teach you from the ground-up everything you need to know about the capital markets, each weekly hour-long seminar includes:
• Two five-minute recaps on the markets — presented by our general members
• A comprehensive breakdown featuring case studies and theory
• Q&A period to discuss your learnings with execs
• Seminars include: Intro to Capital Markets, Crash Course in Economics, The Lifecycle of a Company, Mergers & Acquisitions, and more!

Mentorship Program and Recruiting Workshops

Form tight-knit relationships with upper-years with industry experience, learn from their backgrounds and discuss what you’ve learned in educationals through a meaningful, structured curriculum.

• The WCM Mentorship Program connects you with an HBA2 with industry experience to build a year-long friendship and gain invaluable insight.
• Throughout your meet-ups, your Mentor will share resources, discover your career interests, build your network, and discuss your learnings from educationals.
• Workshops include Excel/Powerpoint Crash Course, Intensive Recruiting Workshops and a Valuation Case Competition

Career Development Trips

• The New York Recruiting Conference is a week-long exploration of Finance in New York which includes firm visits with leading banks, keynote speakers, and pre-arranged coffee chats with firm representatives

Diversity and Inclusivity at WCM

We recognize that while we have helped bridge the gap to the industry for many, we can be doing even more to engage and support our members from more diverse backgrounds.

• While we are committed to a thorough hiring process and recruiting those committed to providing an inclusive environment, we want to put in place additional safeguards to ensure greater inclusivity and create long-standing opportunities for further growth.
• Safeguards include a Code of Conduct, an emphasis on character and devotion to inclusivity in the Hiring Process, Anonymous Feedback Systems, and the hiring of an EDI Director

Specific benefits to members include

• Confidence two-hour workshop designed for anyone who needs help getting their voices heard in the workplace
• Women in Finance Summit to connect with alumni and other female industry leaders
• Club partnerships to build a collaborative community

Benefits of attending our programs include:

• Build your interest & understanding of Finance
• Find mentors in a field that appeals to you
• Build a global network with your chosen field
• Apply, interview, and get your dream job!
• Educationals are hosted on a weekly basis!

Executive Hiring and how to get involved

Club Structure

We heavily encourage everyone to apply for a position! Benefits include learning from upper-year executives with genuine finance experiences, building your professional skills, and executing portfolio initiatives.

We are looking for directors that can exemplify humility, professionalism, initiative, discipline, and teamwork.

Applications for Directors close October 2nd, with Interviews occurring Oct. 4th to 6th

Portfolios

Primary activities:

Educations

• Co-Heads Amy Dong and Apaar Vijay
• Portfolio Initiatives include: Weekly educationals, Member involvement, Recruiting support, Interactive Q&As, In-meeting activities, and Inclusivity
• Hiring two HBA1 Co-VPs and two AEO1/2 Directors

Development

• Co-Heads Kevin Kacvinsky and Yuvraj Chanda
• Portfolio Initiatives include: Engaged mentors, Informal deliverables, Case competitions, Mentee guidance, Interactive workshops, and Inclusivity
• Hiring two HBA1 Co-VPs and two AEO1/2 Directors

Events

• Co-Heads Chloe Macklin and Andre Corona
• Portfolio Initiatives include: New York trip, Toronto trip, and One-off speaker events
• Hiring one HBA1 VP and two AEO1/2 Directors

Outreach

• Co-Heads Yixuan Zhao and Victoria Fedak
• Portfolio Initiatives include: Alumni database, Diversity outreach, WIF expansion, and Diversity fireside chat initative
• Hiring one HBA1 VP and three AEO1/2 Directors

Support Activities

Digital Communication

• Co-Heads Kaede Kusano and Sarah Johnson
• Portfolio Initiatives include: Upholding WCM brand, Social media management, and Cross-portfolio promotion
• Hiring two AEO1/2 Directors

Finance

• Co-Heads Signy Matthews and Saad Fasihi
• Portfolio Initiatives include: Reimbursement communication, Financial planning, USC communication
• Hiring one AEO1/2 Director

Logistics

• Head Caleb Guo
• Portfolio Initiatives include: WCM blog, Socials, Facebook group, and Coordination
• Hiring one HBA1 VP and two AEO1/2 Directors