Noelle Laing ‘03, Senior Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates
1. Current job title and place of employment:
Senior Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates. (I’m also a Team Leader and head of the recruiting team. Our teams are similar to extra curricular activities at school. The client work comes first, but there are lots of opportunities to grow in other ways, too.)
2. Briefly, what is it that you do?
Cambridge Associates provides investment and financial planning advice to endowed non-profits and family clients. Consulting Associates work closely with Consultants to prepare analysis, research and advice for the clients. It’s a great introduction into the investment world. We joke around and call it the “liberal arts education for institutional investing.”
3. What, if any, obstacles did you face trying to get your first job in
this field?
I didn’t know what kinds of jobs I could find in finance other than investment banking. I used the career services office, but still didn’t really understand or know what I was looking for.
4. What advice would you give to students interested in working in your field?
Do internships to find out what you do, and more importantly, what you don’t like.
5. What are some of the activities you were involved in while at SLU?
Tour guide and Admissions Management Assistant for the Admissions office, intramural broomball, J-Board, Circle K.
6. How can students best prepare themselves while at SLU?
Talk to alumni, do internships, go abroad – in short, take advantage of everything SLU offers.
7. In retrospect, is there anything you would have done differently
with regard to your career?
I would have done more internships.
8. What are your future plans?
The Consulting Associate (CA) position is a 2-4 year position. Many CAs go onto business school right after their experience here. I’m considering getting my MBA, but I think I want another job in finance first, just to try something new before going for a graduate degree.
9. Are you willing to talk with students interested in a career in your field? If so, how may they best contact you?
Yes. Please feel free to email me at noellelaing@yahoo.com.
Additional Alumni Profiles:
John Marino, '83 : Vice President for Marketing, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, South San Francisco, CA
Dawn Montanye, '89 : Manager of Conservation Economics, World Wildlife Fund Northern Great Plains Program, Bozeman, Montana
Amanda Valenta '04 : Senior Audit Associate, McGladrey & Pullen, LLP
Moira Collins '84 : Senior Vice President, Product Development, Gartner, Inc.
Bruce E. Seely '75: Professor History and Department Chair, Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University
Mark Tavern '94: Director, A&R Administration at the
RCA Music Group, a unit of SONY BMG Music Entertainment and home of the J, Arista and RCA record labels.
Anthony (Tony) Ross '75, M'78: Vice President for Student
Affairs California State University, Los Angeles
George Ashline '89: Associate Professor of Mathematics, Saint Michael's College, Colchester, VT
Alissa Bibb '03, Program Officer: American Councils for International Education
Rick Persons, '83, Senior Television Producer, PGA TOUR Productions
Ronald T. Burkman, M.D., '65 Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ken
Dowling ‘84, Executive Vice President, Grey Worldwide
Advertising
David Dusek ’93, Senior Managing Editor
of golfonline.com
Noelle Laing ‘03, Senior Consulting Associate
at Cambridge Associates
Dan Lee 05', Investment Banking Analyst, Cochran,
Caronia & Co.
Armand A. Rapetti ’73, President, CEO:
JBS & Associates, Lakeland, FL
Ken Polk & '91, Major Accounts District
Manager: Automatic Data Processing, Williamsville, NY
Wendy Davidson Freihammer & #8217;94,
Financial Advisor: American Express Financial Advisors, Cambridge, MA
Mayela C. (Calabria) Harris '87, Family
Therapist (Social Worker): Hospice of Wake County, Raleigh, NC
Peter J. Dalton '94, Affiliate Support
Manager: Habitat for Humanity International
