Finance across the pond
Student Experience
In Michel Robe’s international finance course, students study global markets in class before traveling to France and the U.K. to meet experts in the field.
Robe joined the Robins School faculty as the Patricia A. and George Wellde Jr. Distinguished Chair in Finance in 2023 and soon after began developing content to be taught on campus and abroad. “I designed the course to be useful for finance students, of course, but also for students in marketing, accounting, economics, logistics, and all areas that benefit from knowing about identifying, measuring, and managing international risks,” Robe said. “A first-hand experience abroad is critical to anyone working in the international space — not just in finance but also in other business disciplines.”
He led 12 students on an inaugural class trip to Paris and London over spring break. Their days were filled with lectures by faculty experts from the Université Paris-Dauphine and the Bayes Business School in London and conversations and meals with market regulators, currency traders, and international finance executives.
Senior staff and executives from the AMF (the French financial market regulator) and the Banque de France (the French Central Bank) hosted the group in Paris. In London, they visited world-class financial institutions like the Baltic Exchange, Lloyd’s, and Citibank. At Citibank, a UR alum hosted them for a roundtable with senior colleagues.
“The panel at Citi was mesmerizing,” said Colin Kuni, a rising senior, who took the course. “I gravitated toward learning more about the corporate foreign exchange team’s work and how I could find a similar role — an opportunity I didn’t know existed before this conversation.”
Ahoefa Nanevi, who studied accounting and graduated in May, credits the course with introducing her to new career paths. “Visiting the AMF and the Banque de France allowed us to see how our in-class lectures applied in the government and regulation sector,” she said.
Funds have been set aside to ensure students can take the trip next year, regardless of need. Robe looks forward to helping more students gain international exposure.
“The chance to see Richmond students soak in the novelty of the experience, to grow from meeting industry professionals, and to represent the University abroad was truly incredible,” he said. “The fact that all the professionals who met with our group want to see us back next year is a testament to the students’ ability to be true ambassadors of the Robins School and of UR.”