Donata Leonova

What’s your place of work like?

I’m based in Paris, which is a wonderful city and we have a really cool, modern office with an innovative team of internationals. We’re Nordic, French, Italian and Spanish, and we’ve grown from an office of 50 to 500 in about two years. There’s lots of new talent and the bank is making a real effort to grow and evolve. Compared to London, it feels quite compact, because everything's within a 20- to 30-minute walk.

How connected are you to the global teams?

There’s an expectation that you shouldn’t limit yourself to your region, but try to integrate with all areas of the bank globally. It’s just part of the culture here. It seems like between New York and London, our offices are all interconnected. We speak on a more or less daily basis.

Does your work have global impact and reach?

I’m Swedish-Finnish-Russian and because of my language skills, in part, I work with the Nordic region. That means I help our analysts from across the world to connect with clients in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. For example, if the management of a British company want to meet with Nordic investors, my role is to connect them and help them expand their businesses.

Is sustainable finance important to your clients?

Institutions are now investing to create more sustainable global platforms and the Nordic clients were among the first to prioritize Environmental, Social and Governance as a theme. They have a very strict investment range. That means we use a different framework that focuses heavily on sustainability. Among other things, they’re looking to invest in areas like sustainable energy – like wind, solar and even green hydrogen. It’s exciting because more investment in this field means more advancements in technology. It’s going to change the way we source and generate power.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to join Bank of America?

Try to come without assumptions about investment banking, or how large corporations work. Research different departments and what they do. Also, just be yourself. It’s a very diverse, inclusive place to work.