Lachlan and Kate Haig have more in common than your average siblings.

Both studied Commerce at university and majored in Finance and Economics and both are building their careers at NAB.

Lachlan, an Analyst in the Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities team, joined NAB as a Graduate in 2020 and Kate joined NAB as a 2021 Graduate and recently secured an ongoing role as Analyst in NAB’s Securitisation Origination team.

“We’ve both had fairly similar paths, you could say!” said Lachlan.

Finance runs in the family, with Lachlan and Kate’s father also starting his career at NAB.

“We’ve grown up around the dinner table learning about finance and economics. Our dad’s interests merged their way into ours, we were always interested in maths, science and economics at school.”

Covid’s curve ball

Beginning their professional careers during a pandemic has not been without its challenges.

“It’s pretty challenging when you don’t have that natural interpersonal interaction in the office, which I love,” Lachlan said.

“Building relationships remotely and meeting people for the first time on Zoom can be challenging, but it makes such a difference when your team is so welcoming and makes a real effort to go out on a limb.”

As this year’s new graduate cohort begin their Graduate Program at NAB, Lachlan said it’s important to be proactive about building relationships.

“You’ve also got to do it yourself and take the initiative to meet people.

“As a grad, behind the screen it can be daunting. But that’s the only way you’re going to learn, potentially get the opportunity to do a rotation or secondment in other parts of the bank and find a spot you like. People were really receptive when I reached out.”

The right path

For Lachlan, that’s how he found the renewable finance space.

“The NAB Graduate Program lets you explore different sectors and find out about things that you have had no exposure to previously.

“I’m very keen to stay in some form of corporate finance. I wouldn’t have found it unless I’d been able to explore it through the graduate program,” he said.

For Kate, the variety of the rotations in the NAB Graduate Program was what she enjoyed most.

“I thought I’d stay in one team and love it. But I felt like all of my rotations were good choices – such great variety allowed me to secure a role in a market-leading team.

“I love the variety in Securitisation day-to-day – moving from credit papers, to deal work, to client calls. It has been such a steep learning curve which I love,” Kate said.

“I’m glad that I got to try multiple things and not just set my sights on one thing and only do that.”

Kate and Lachlan agree that having each other to talk to and bounce ideas off has been a huge support.

“We know each other so well, that when we are making career or work-related choices we can ask each other why you might want this or have an interest in a space,” Kate said.

“It’s quite a handy network to have to lean on someone that understands you both personally and also the career side.”

NAB has been recognised as a Top 10 Graduate Employer in 2022.

To learn more about NAB’s revamped Graduate program visit here.

And read a feature article on the program here.