The Girls Are Investors Podcast

Applying for internships this autumn? "What's caught your eye in markets recently?" comes up a lot in investment interviews, and this episode gives you the last three months in around half an hour.

GAIN trustee Natasha Braginsky Mounier talks to two of our volunteers: Gabrielle Park, who analyses and invests in companies at W1M, and Michelle Munyi, who lends money to private equity-backed businesses at Barings (think of it like a mortgage, but for companies).

You'll hear:

• why US stock markets rose this summer, and why it was mostly down to a handful of tech companies
• whether the huge sums being spent on AI are starting to make money
• what bond yields are, why they've been rising and why governments are worried
• how oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz feed into inflation
• why Bitcoin jumped while gold barely moved
• how a lender plans for things going wrong, like inflation hitting 10% for two years
• whether climate has slipped down investors' to-do lists (and what "green hushing" means)

Gabrielle and Michelle also share how they got their jobs. Gabrielle started in an admin role and built her network to move into the investment team. Michelle studied economic history and tried investment research and real estate before landing in private credit.

Recorded on 1 October 2026.

Show notes: Natasha recommends the Financial Times podcast series The Story of Money, which is free for everyone: The Story of Money | Financial Times

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

This bonus episode takes you inside the networking at the 2026 GAIN Awards, hosted by Apollo Global Management in London.

We caht to students, mentors, volunteers and industry professionals about what brought them there, what GAIN means to them, and what they'd tell anyone thinking about a career in investment management.

It's short, a little noisy and full of the energy of the night. If you want to know what the GAIN community actually feels like, this is it.

Want to see who took home the awards? Read the full list of 2026 winners on our website: GAIN UK Celebrates the Next Generation of Investment Talent at the 2026 GAIN Awards – GAIN UK

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

What happens when the GAIN UK team gets hands-on with GAIN On Demand?

We clicked, learned, explored, and compared notes. Tune in as we chat about our experiences, highlight the standout moments, and discuss whether this new online course is really for anyone.

To sign up to GAIN On Demand and build your investment management knowledge visit https://tinyurl.com/uvj243zc for more information. 

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

From the international Schools Investment Challenge and the Empower Investment Internship Programme to our brand-new learning platform, GAIN On Demand, we're breaking down all the opportunities currently available and how you can get involved.

Listen now and discover your next opportunity with GAIN UK.

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

In this week's episode, GAIN Trustee Natasha Braginsky-Mounier is joined by Investment Director Alina Gregory (Cazenove Capital) and Shirya Samarth EMEA Head of Rates (StoneX). 

Together they share their perspective on the second quarter of 2026, including a deeper dive into the latest fixed income news and a review of how equities coped within the quarter. 

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

In this episode of the Girls Are Investors Podcast, the team sits down with Buki Macpherson and Claire Manners Wood from Smart Works, the UK charity dedicated to empowering women and non-binary people with the confidence, clothing, and coaching they need to succeed in the workplace. 

The conversation blends practical career advice with thoughtful insights on how personal style can influence confidence and professional success.

If you want to find out more about Smart Works and the work they do, visit www.smartworks.org.uk.

You can also watch the episode on YouTube. 

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

Discover why Leeds is fast becoming a powerhouse in investment management. In this episode of The Girls Are Investors podcast, we chat with Heather Miles and Louise Bryan from Border to Coast - the UK's largest asset manager outside London and Edinburgh - about what it takes to build a thriving career in investment management Yorkshire.

Border to Coast manages around £120 billion in assets for 18 local government pension schemes, and they're on a mission to grow investment talent in the North. We explore what a day in asset management actually looks like, why their collaborative culture makes them different, and the real entry routes available to you - from work insight opportunities and internships through to graduate schemes and apprenticeships.

Whether you're considering Leeds as your base, curious about working outside London, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about where and how you can build your future in the industry.

Check out Border to Coast Careers here: Careers - Border To Coast - Work With Us

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

They researched the company, analysed the numbers, built their investment case — and then pitched it to industry professionals. In this special episode, we sit down with the winners of the 2026 GAIN Schools Investment Challenge to hear what it was really like.

We talk about:

• How they approached the challenge and what surprised them most
• The creative process behind their stock pitch video 
• Their top tips for anyone thinking about applying in 2026
• Why the challenge is important for schools

If you’ve ever been curious about investing but felt it wasn’t for you — this episode is your sign to give it a go.

The GAIN Schools Investment Challenge is completely free and open to students in Years 10 to 13, regardless of what subjects you’re studying or experience.

To find out more visit: Schools Investment Challenge – GAIN UK

Register your interest to apply for 2027: The GAIN Schools Investment Challenge 2027

For more information on our programmes, events, and resources, visit gainuk.org, or find us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

They researched the company, crunched the numbers, built their thesis — and then pitched it live in front of a panel of investment professionals. In this special episode, we sit down with the winners of the 2025 GAIN University Investment Challenge - Mireya, Vania, Matilda & Pearl from London Business School - to find out what it was really like.

From forming their team and choosing their stock, to the nerves of the live final, our champions take us behind the scenes of one of the most exciting opportunities to develop your investment management credentials as a student. 

We talk about:

• How they approached the challenge and what surprised them most
• The skills they built along the way (and the ones they didn't expect to need)
• Their top tips for anyone thinking about applying in 2026
• How the experience has shaped their confidence and career ambitions in investment management

If you've ever been curious about investment management but thought it wasn't for you — this episode is your sign to learn more!

The GAIN University Investment Challenge is completely free, open to female and non-binary students at UK universities studying any subject, and the prizes? We're talking £200 cash, funded CISI qualifications, industry mentoring, and the title of national champions.

Find out more: https://www.gainuk.org/programmes/university-investment-challenge/

Register your interest to apply: https://form.jotform.com/253314044326044

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

After 10 weeks of workshops, seminars and mentoring, the time has come for The GAIN Investment Insight programme (GIIP) students to come together to network and celebrate at The National Gallery. 

In this episode, we’re joined by three inspiring GIIP students — Sophie, Amy and Elodie — alongside Dominique Trinidad, a GIIP mentor, and Olivia Pether from the Early Careers & Talent team at Columbia Threadneedle.

Together, they take us behind the scenes of the GIIP, sharing honest reflections on what they’ve learned, how the experience has shaped their confidence, and why representation in finance really matters. 

Dominique offers insight into volunteering with GAIN and what it’s like to support the next generation and the impact mentors can make — while Olivia shares invaluable advice from an employer’s perspective.

Whether you’re considering applying for one of our programmes, thinking about volunteering, or simply curious about careers in investment management, this episode is packed with practical tips, real experiences and encouragement to put your best foot forward.

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram. 

Got a question? Send us a voice note and we will try to answer it on the podcast!

For more information on our programmes, internships, events and resources visit  gainuk.org.  You can also find us on LinkedIn or Instagram.