After two years of preparatory classes in Lyon, I took a dual degree in engineering and finance at Centrale Marseille. I continued on a work-study program to get my Project Finance - Structured Financing Masters Degree at the Ecole des Ponts ParisTech and the University of Paris X. I did a nine-month internship, in conjunction with my studies, at Crédit Agricole CIB in the Infrastructure Project Finance team in Paris. Following this course, I signed a permanent contract as a business manager in August 2010.

I am part of the Project Infrastructure Finance team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with 20 people based in Paris and London.
We provide assistance to clients, both in terms of financial advice and arrangements, in structuring the best financing solution for major infrastructure projects. We act both for major industrial groups and financial investors.
I work mainly on the development and analysis of financial models used for project evaluation. I also participate in setting up credit applications. This requires an ability to critically analyse the financial, legal and technical reports which are produced by the specialist experts or advisers for the project in question. My work means that I am in direct contact with clients. For example, I attend meetings which, depending on our role as financial adviser or arranger, are intended to:

• help them make their decisions,
• provide consulting for their relationships with banks,
• negotiate contracts...

They range from high-speed rail lines to large buildings, stadiums, motorways, airports, ports, water treatment plants, etc. Some of these projects represent investments of several billion euros.
I recently worked as a financial adviser on the Sud Europe Atlantique high-speed rail line project between Tours and Bordeaux for the consortium led by Vinci. I also worked on the project to build the future of Paris Courts of Justice, with the consortium led by Bouygues, and as an arranger for the construction of a waste water treatment plant in Bahrain.

The variety of assignments is an advantage. Each project has its own characteristics, which is why we have to be constantly creative.
I enjoy the fact that I work alongside internationally recognised professionals in the field of infrastructure financing. Learning from them enables me to develop quickly.
Working on international projects involves working with people of different nationalities and diverse backgrounds (bankers, financial investors, industrialists, lawyers). This diversity is very rewarding from a personal point of view.

Crédit Agricole CIB is one of the best banks in the world for structured financing activities in general and for project financing in particular. Progressing within a team whose expertise is widely acknowledged is a guarantee that you will be working on major projects. It also means that you are in the ideal conditions to learn a trade which is complex and constantly changing.

It is essential to find out as much as you can about the Bank's businesses lines and target the one you want to discover. An application which is carefully focused and which the recruiters can see as such always has more chance of success. A long internship is also a chance to come face-to-face with the trade you are aiming for. It is an experience which enables both the manager and the trainee to really gauge how suited you are for the position.