A day in the life: Kayleigh Potton

My alarm goes off:
I get up at 6 am, I jump on the train at about 7 am and I’m usually in for 8 am. There’s free cereal at work, so I’ll usually eat once I get in.

I’m responsible for:
Managing live prices and rich data investigation.

Most proud of:
The fact that I have really pushed myself to learn and I’ve worked my way up. I started at CMC as an intern in between my second and third years at university. It was an 8-week stint where they really encouraged me to use the time to explore departments and see what I liked and what I wanted to do.

They offered me a job at the end of it and said I could come back after I graduated, which I did. I started in business ops, then moved to the dealing desk, where I was the only female trader. Because I wanted to learn Python, I then moved to the quant team.

That’s the great thing about CMC, if you want to learn something new and you’re passionate about it, they will support you - even if that means moving teams or departments.

Everyone at CMC wants to teach you and share what they know, which means that knowledge gets shared across the business. They want you to be the best you can be.
 

Why work in the CMC trading department?
There is a real drive for you to learn and develop and a push to spend the training budget, which means that you feel like you are constantly progressing. The other thing is that no matter how junior you are, everyone wants to hear your opinion. That makes you feel valued and I do feel like it’s a family.
 

The best part of the job:
I love how every day is completely different and I love how you never know what’s coming up next. I’ll often be working on a project, but in between that I’ll be dealing with live issues. That’s really exciting.
 

My typical day:
Every day is completely different and I love that about CMC. I love the fast pace. I work really well under pressure, so I thrive on that variety.
 

After work:
I go to the gym a lot (you get 50% off with Vitality, so that’s a bonus), but on a Thursday, those good intentions usually slip. There’s always someone from CMC at one of the local bars downstairs, so that’s when I’ll join for a few cheeky beverages.