As Dr. Dominik Soukup-Carne wrapped up his 10 week internship with the Cortus Corporate Finance Team, he took a moment to reflect on his experience and what he learned along the way. From new skills to team highlights, here’s a look at his journey in his own words.
Tell us about yourself – your background, your current studies, and what attracted you to apply for an internship at Cortus?
I have recently completed my PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester with a background in reaction engineering modelling and green chemistry. Alongside publishing in top journals and presenting at international conferences, I built strong skills in Python, machine learning, and applied statistics. I was particularly attracted to the internship at Cortus Corporate Finance to develop a deeper understanding of the advisory world – with a focus on mid-market M&A activities across the Northwest.
Coming from a PhD in engineering, how did you apply yours skills in a Corporate Finance setting?
My PhD in Engineering provide a fundamental baseline of quantitative reasoning and problem-solving skills – highly applicable in the Corporate Finance advisory sphere. These skills allowed me to develop a keen interest in the research and analysis side of M&A, with fantastic support from the team filling in on the more role-specific skills that I needed to develop.
Cortus seeks to recruit from a mix of backgrounds – how did you find joining a team of M&A and advisory professionals with a different career path from your own?
The diversity of the background in the team is the highlight of the role for me, allowing me to develop multidisciplinary skills and approaches to a myriad of ever-changing scenarios present in a Corporate Finance setting.
You were involved in our AI-related projects – how did you find the opportunity to take ownership of work in an area you’re passionate about?
Cortus allowed me large amounts of independence in helping develop the AI approach across the company, where I worked closely with Jim Mackway, Director of the Value Creation team at Cortus, to talk through strategies and approaches to using AI as a tool towards a meaningful outcomes in professional services. This helped me enhanced my skills and really allowed me to explore my passion for technical focused analytics to provide optimised workflows in a business setting.
Before you joined, what kind of work environment or culture did you imagine you’d find here?
Coming from an academic background I was looking forward to the professional work environment at Cortus, where I could develop my skills with leading professionals in the advisory world. The culture of the office is fantastic, with everyone happy to help or have a chat about any aspect of their job, offering keen insights into the inner workings of an efficient and effective advisory firm.
Has your time at Cortus changed your view on the type of workplace you’d like to be part of in the future?
The working environment of Cortus is fantastic, solidifying my view that I would like to work in a corporate setting with a culture as excellent as offered here. In the future I would be delighted to work at a firm with a similar culture to that of Cortus, offering robust training and keen insight into the M&A processes.
What have been your standout moments during the internship?
The best moment for me during my time here have revolved around supporting the team with aspects whereby I could utilise my quantitative experience to provide real tools and approaches to optimise the Corporate Finance workflow. The standout project for me has been the working on an accelerated M&A process, seeing the process through from conception to helping to prepare the material for launch of the sale of the business.
What skills or insights do you feel you’ve developed most during your time here?
The most important skills I have learned through my time here at Cortus has been professional skills and business acumen, this changed my mind set on how to approach solving business problems and provide meaningful actionable results for the team.
How has your internship influenced your thinking on how AI can be applied in professional services?
This experience has shown me the importance of targeted AI implementation, focusing on value-add areas within the team with direct solution-oriented approaches developed through discussion of pain-points with members of the team. This has shown that the adoption of AI in professional setting can be extremely beneficial as an enhancement tool but still requires the direction and expertise of the specific users.
What advice would you give to future interns or graduates coming into Cortus – especially those from a non-traditional background?
Ask questions, be proactive, and look for opportunities to apply your background in ways the team might not expect and don’t be afraid to ask for help. This internship experience has developed both my professional and personal skills tremendously, it was a transformative role offering me keen insights into the inner workings of a formidable professional services firm and where I’ve been able to leverage my skills to achieve successful results.
For more information about how to apply for an internship at Cortus Advisory Group please email Charlene Horan in the first instance.