Katya Zoykova shares her LSE Experience

Tell us about yourself?

My name is Katya Zoykova, Aleksander foundation alumni since 2010. I am currently based in Sofia, covering large corporate clients segment in UniCredit. Previously I held various positions out of the Sofia, Vienna and Moscow office of UniCredit in the area of risk management, structured finance and project management. I graduated from the mathematics and informatics faculty of Sofia University and later on Bocconi University.

What motivated you to apply for the program?

When I first saw the notification about Aleksander Foundation LSE scholarship I thought it would be a great opportunity to build on what I have learned so far combined with the chance to study in an international environment. The topic of the summer school was „Analysis and management of financial risk”. Earlier that year I started working in the area of credit risk management and additional specialization in this field was definitely a plus.

Tell us about your experience on the program?

My first impression of the program and the university itself was the highly professional and very diverse environment. I liked the fact that the program was structured in such a way so as to unlock our curiosity to learn beyond what is included in the curriculum. What I liked the most was the immediate practical application of what we learned. Of course we also had a lot of fun exploring London, meeting like-minded classmates and having a pint at the George IV pub nearby.

How have you applied what you have learned from this course?

In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, the summer school covered a lot of relevant topics related to the financial industry and the risk it entails and for someone like me who just joined the industry the program was very useful and insightful. Thanks to the program I decided to continue my education and career in the finance and banking sector.