Member Article

Countdown record-breaker joins expanded intern programme at AJ Bell

Investment platform AJ Bell has expanded its intern programme for 2019 to give more young people from the north west the opportunity to gain valuable work experience.

This year’s intake includes the highest-ever scorer in the history of TV’s Countdown programme, Elliott Mellor, who is from Oldham.

Summer internships at AJ Bell started this month and run for eight weeks across its customer services, technology and investments departments.

The interns will discover first-hand what it is like to work in a fast-growing financial services business, giving them experiences and skills that they can use to develop their careers when they leave full-time education.

A total of 21 interns will join AJ Bell over the summer, compared to the total 18 who benefitted from the programme in 2018.

This year’s investments interns include Countdown ‘octochamp’ Elliott, who is studying mathematics at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Elliott broke a number of records when he appeared on Countdown in May and June this year.

These included the highest-ever debut score of 131, the highest-ever score for a single game of 152, the first consecutive hat trick of scores over 130, the record winning margin of 133 points and the record cumulative score of 1,061 – the first ever score of over 1,000.

Kevin Doran, chief investment officer at AJ Bell, said: “The internship and work experience scheme is a win-win situation. The successful applicants gain invaluable work experience to help inform their career choices, and we benefit from having intelligent young people working on projects who offer different views and insights to our permanent staff.

“Elliott’s quick mind and problem-solving skills made him a must-have for our summer intern programme. Giving the brightest and best of the next generation a chance to see the wealth of opportunities in our industry is all just part of the AJ Bell way.”

The interns will be based at AJ Bell’s headquarters in Salford Quays.

Pictured left to right are Daniel Moore and Bradley Boyd, who are on work experience at AJ Bell, Tom McGoldrick, operations and portfolio analyst at AJ Bell, Elliott Mellor, Kevin Doran, and interns Jason Ozuzu, William Murch, Tom Keany and Ryan Woodruff.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by AJ Bell .