My name is Gabin Dumas, and I have just completed my second year of a double major in Political Science and Economics. At this stage of my life, I am still exploring my exact path within these fields, as well as finance. My desire to expand my knowledge drove me to seek out an internship in the financial sector, and this opportunity at SPIE offered me a chance to immerse myself in this area. I aimed to gain a deeper understanding of finance and accounting within an international company.
SPIE is a leading European company specializing in multi-technical services, particularly in the energy and communications sectors, with a workforce of 50,000. The company is dedicated to facilitating energy transition and digital transformation, aiming to combat climate change through sustainable initiatives. I interned at SPIE Global Services Energy (GSE) in their Doha office, the international subsidiary of the SPIE Group. SPIE GSE operates across the entire energy production infrastructure value chain, from design to maintenance. With a local network and 5,000 employees, SPIE GSE enhances the technical performance, energy efficiency, and carbon footprint of infrastructure in the oil, gas, and renewable energy industries.
During the first month of my internship at SPIE GSE, I gained a comprehensive understanding of the company's financial processes. This included learning how to prepare monthly financial reports and manage project finances. In the second month, I applied the knowledge and skills I acquired by actively participating in the previous month processes. My responsibilities included overseeing cost control for the entire Middle East region (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc.), which involved reconciling accounts, verifying financial data, and explaining any discrepancies with the budget. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work on specific financial tasks such as mix payment and petty cash management.
One of the key moments during my internship was a week where I actively participated in the consolidation of Middle East data with the Cost Controller of the Business Unit. Our role involved verifying past financial data and making predictions for the next three months regarding orders, production, and invoicing of various projects in the region. We compared these figures with the annual forecasts, identified potential discrepancies, and provided justifications for significant variances.
Another significant highlight was the analysis of the LB1, which consists of the annual predictions for production, orders, and invoicing figures, released at the beginning of April. This task helped me gain a deep understanding of the economic situation in each country. Following this analysis, I presented the figures and their interpretations to various colleagues. My objective was to provide a precise and detailed analysis of the different subsidiaries in the region, highlighting their performance and prospects. This experience improved my skills in financial data analysis and synthesis. It was crucial to understand not just the numbers, but what they signified in terms of operational performance and outlook for each subsidiary. Presenting to senior colleagues helped me refine my communication skills, ensuring that my explanations were clear, concise, and persuasive.聽
The most challenging part of my internship was understanding the complex financial processes and terminology, given that finance is not part of my field of study. To overcome this, I systematically sought explanations from my colleagues and spent time independently studying and analysing financial reports. Through interactions with various colleagues, I gained an in-depth understanding of the company's operations in the different regions and departments.
This internship was my first real professional experience, and it significantly impacted my understanding of the corporate world. It has had a direct effect on my university experience, as I now approach my studies with a much clearer perspective on what to expect after graduation. This experience has also opened my horizons to a field I had not yet studied, and it might influence my future academic path.
For my internship, thanks to the Arts internship Office, I was lucky to receive the Faculty of Arts Internship Award, which was instrumental in helping me adapt to a new way of life. Doing my internship in Doha, Qatar, I lacked personal transportation, and this funding allowed me to commute to and from work each day. With longer and more demanding days than at university, I could not work on the side, so the funding supported my daily living expenses. Lastly, since I had to travel from Montreal, the funding also covered my journey to Qatar.
