Gian Gael Gonzalez Büchsenschütz
I was born and raised in Mexico, but I did my high school and undergrad degrees in Germany, because I am half German as well. I would describe myself as a very balanced person in the sense that I’m good with numbers, I’m good with people and I’m good with presentations. My passion is finance and having a sense of self-accomplishment: adding value and fulfilling my potential. I’ve not always known what I want to do, so I’m very lucky in that I’ve stumbled upon something and had fun doing it.
"My professional career looks like it will be more technical now that I have the tools."
Adding value through a technical financial focus
Gael’s academic background before coming to IE University was in economics and business administration, as well as some asset management and fixed-income research professional experience. Coming into the program, Gael had some practical knowledge but wanted to expand upon it with the Master in Finance to move into a decision-making role. Now, he is confident he can say his career trajectory looks a lot more on the technical side thanks to the skills and knowledge he has gained during the program.
During the research process for his dream master’s program, Gael was drawn to IE University’s practical approach and the Financial Analytics & Digital Finance specialization track. As a unique opportunity to follow his career goals early on, he leaped at the chance to deep dive into machine learning, artificial intelligence and algorithms. IE University provided the perfect balance for Gael, with hands-on experience and a skill set applicable to the future. The chance to live in Madrid also influenced Gael’s final decision as a true global citizen.
Now nearing the end of his program, Gael has plans to work in DWS, the asset management division at Deutsche Bank. He will be completing a trainee program in traditional investment and portfolio management. There, he will support the portfolio management teams and will be rotating through different asset classes before he is placed somewhere. Much like his program, he will be “doing a little bit of everything regarding financial markets.”
“I don’t think I have ever learned as much in one year as in the Master in Finance.”
Gael has aligned his career path with his professional goals, working towards his ambition of becoming a portfolio manager in the long run. He also hopes to be able to implement his knowledge of machine learning and “the more math and programming, the better”.
Thanks to IE University’s international community, Gael found his start at DWS. He was referred by a DWS portfolio manager through IE University after attending some career sessions. Gael reached out wanting to hear about his experience, and the rest is history.
To other students considering the Master in Finance at IE University, Gael advises them to have a strong passion for what they are doing because it is an intense program, although a worthwhile one. That said, Gael enjoyed what he was working on and learning in each class. Overall, he highlights the need for passion, discipline, commitment and flexibility to work at different times.
Looking back on his experience, Gael summarizes his time at IE University as “an intense and steep learning curve.” He doesn’t think he has ever learned so much in such a short period of time, but he also felt supported in the IE Community. He and his cohort were in the same boat, applying for jobs and facing the same challenges, so they had a lot of fun together. As a final word of advice, Gael says to come ready for a time of extreme work but extreme fun.
