Why Work at Morgan Stanley? Here Are Four Great Reasons.

From autonomous vehicles, to the software behind the Internet of Things, to the power of big data—innovation and disruption are driving the markets as never before, with industries and whole sectors changing at speeds that were once unfathomable. Underpinning this massive change is financial services—the engine that helps ignite companies to develop new products and create new markets. Harnessing that explosive growth takes a lot of hard work, thoughtful strategy, good advice, and financing. And, of course, the people who can make all that happen. Which is why we are always looking for bright, curious and creative people to join our team at Morgan Stanley.

Here at Morgan Stanley, our people are our greatest asset, taking on challenges big and small to help our clients realize their goals. How do we do that? By valuing collaboration. If you have a good idea or a solution to a problem that no one has thought of, we want to hear from you, whether you’re an Associate or a Managing Director and whether your college major was finance, technology, liberal arts or engineering. A diversity of opinions, experience and backgrounds creates the wealth of perspective that brings about success.

I have a bit more to say on that below. But first I want to introduce you to a few talented people who represent that diversity; the stars of four new videos we’ve produced that highlight Who We Are. Examples of our rising talent throughout the firm describe why they find it so personally rewarding to work at Morgan Stanley, something I’ve been lucky enough to do for more than 32 years. Take a look and I think you’ll get a sense of why Morgan Stanley is such a compelling place to build your career. 

While each employee you’ll hear from has their own story to tell, a few common themes emerge, ones that resonate with me personally and that I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on.

1.  You are encouraged to use your creativity to tackle complex problems 

If you are someone who enjoys stretching yourself professionally, who is excited to take on new and complex challenges every day, you’ll find a way to build a gratifying career at Morgan Stanley. Take Sebastian, a quant analyst who is profiled in the videos I mentioned above. Sebastian told us, “I don’t feel like I’ve stopped learning here at Morgan Stanley. Once I’ve mastered a concept, there’s always something else I can become good at.” Together, we work across business units to find solutions to whatever problems we face. One example: our recently launched Plastic Waste Resolution, a firm-wide commitment to combat the ever-growing plastic waste problem that exists today. Employees across Research, Corporate Services, Investment Management, Human Resources and our Sustainable Investing Institute are all working towards our goal of achieving carbon neutrality for global operations by 2022.

2.  You’ll find opportunities to innovate every day, including as a technologist (that’s right—a technologist)

Working in technology at a financial services firm offers many of the same exciting opportunities for innovation that big tech companies and startups do, while delivering the sort of variety, mobility, autonomy and resources other companies can’t. As Rose-Gaelle, a software engineer featured in the Who We Are videos puts it, “At first, I was confused when a Morgan Stanley recruiter called me about a summer internship. How could my skills transfer to a position within an investment bank?” What she discovered once she was hired was that “Morgan Stanley is the ideal place for motivated and talented people, especially technologists.” In fact, we recently earned the distinction of being the only Financial Services firm named to Fast Company’s inaugural list of 50 Best Workplaces for Innovators. The list recognized our Technology Innovation Office, which funds promising employee projects in key areas, including artificial intelligence, data analytics, and fintech, and offers an accelerator program to expedite the patent-filing process. We also have an Innovation Lab, which provides a sort of digital “sandbox,” allowing employees to experiment with code, software and other technologies.

3.  You’ll have the chance to work at a company where diversity is highly valued

At Morgan Stanley, diversity isn’t just a buzzword, it’s something we embrace every day. Our employees represent a wealth of different backgrounds and bring their unique perspectives, ideas and experiences to whatever role they take on, helping cultivate a workplace that is resilient, results-driven and effective. And we look to promote diversity in other ways, too. Our Multicultural Innovation Lab is an in-house accelerator supporting early-stage tech and tech-enabled startups led by multicultural and women entrepreneurs, a segment who receive only a fraction of the venture capital money that other entrepreneurs do. The Lab is designed not only to help close this trillion-dollar funding gap, but to give women and multicultural founders the tools, access and opportunity they need to succeed.

4.  You’ll be encouraged to give back to your community

A common thread that unites our people—across divisions, levels and regions—is our commitment to giving back to the communities in which we live and work. Morgan Stanley employees create meaningful, lasting social impact, whether they are working at food banks during our Global Volunteer Month every June or offering expertise as part of our annual pro bono initiative. The Morgan Stanley Strategy Challenge matches nonprofits with rising talent within the firm to develop action plans that help address mission-critical issues. The Strategy Challenge has delivered 95,000 service hours valued at over $14.6M to 128 nonprofits since the program began in 2009. But you don’t have to be picked to participate in the Strategy Challenge to give back at Morgan Stanley. Since 2006 our employees have contributed over 2.1 million hours of volunteer work during our annual Global Volunteer Month—that equates to 240 years of donated time and effort to help the communities we call home across the globe.

It’s just one more reason why Morgan Stanley is such a special place to work. But don’t take my word for it. Hear what these associates have to say about what they find rewarding about working at Morgan Stanley. I hope you’ll be encouraged to join them.