Inter(n)view: Annabelle Neuner

After studying in Germany, what made you decide to do your internship at Clearstream in Luxembourg?

I completed my master’s degree in International Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Saarbrucken and also grew up on the German-Luxembourg border. Since my studies included a placement abroad, it was clear to me that I would like to do my mandatory internship in Luxembourg. When you live in this region, you automatically have a connection to the neighbouring countries and appreciate their proximity. For me, this meant that, although I didn't have to move to another country, I could enjoy the advantages of an internship in Luxembourg, for example the very international and multi-cultural environment and the fact that many global companies are based here. I decided to apply for an internship at Clearstream as it was the ideal opportunity for me to gain first insights into the financial sector, an industry I was not familiar with before.

You did your internship in the Communications team responsible for Clearstream. What were your tasks there?

During my internship, I supported my team in all communication activities concerning Deutsche Börse’s post-trading service provider Clearstream across all internal and external channels. From the very beginning, I was actively involved in the entire communication process: from planning and creating content to publishing it. My tasks included editing texts, translating, or even drafting entire articles or social media content myself. Afterwards, I was able to enter and publish content via our content management systems. I also helped with press and social media monitoring and gained experience in creating multimedia content, for example shooting videos for internal channels or taking and editing photos. As you can see, my field of activity was very diverse.

What was the most exciting part of your internship?

One very exciting project I will remember is the communication campaign for Clearstream's 50th anniversary in 2020. To mark this occasion, we published a lot of great content both internally and externally throughout the anniversary year. An important part of the project was the “Clearstream spirit”, an internal communications initiative in which we actively involved all 12 Clearstream locations. Throughout the year, each office contributed to it by sharing their wishes and photos to virtually celebrate the anniversary. It was a great way to connect Clearstream colleagues around the world, especially in times when travelling and meeting in person was restricted.

How did the internship contribute to your professional & personal development?

On a professional level, the internship enabled me to deepen my knowledge of the financial markets. My studies didn't have a direct focus on this area, but during my internship, I read articles on Clearstream-related topics almost every day, so I definitely increased my expertise in this regard. As I was regularly conceptualising and writing texts, I was also able to improve my writing and presentation skills and learned more about storytelling and how to generate engaging content for specific audiences. On a personal level, the internship strengthened my creative thinking and showed me how important networking and collaboration is. Especially as a part of the communications team, you are often in contact with colleagues from different departments, so interpersonal skills and maintaining collaborative relationships are essential. All in all, I had a great time during my internship and got to know very helpful and friendly colleagues who gave me responsibility right from the start and from whom I was able to learn a lot.