The Corporate Fellowship in Finance

Program Overview

The Corporate Fellowship in Finance (“CFF” or Fellowship) is a unique program that incorporates facets of an apprenticeship (with on-the-job training) and of a fellowship (with research-oriented projects).  Our one-year CFF program offers a paid, full-time fellowship held in select Penserra offices.

CFF is seeking college graduates who have completed their undergraduate business degree or related studies within the past six months, including, without limitation, Latinx students, who are interested in exploring career opportunities within the financial services industry. Our ideal candidates are dynamic individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to help us grow and position our businesses and industry for the future.

After completing a full year of the CFF Program, we will work with you on job placement.  Either Penserra will give you a job offer if there are open positions, or we will work with our network of customers to place you with another financial services firm. 

All recent college graduates who are interested in the Fellowship, regardless of background, are welcome to apply.

Fellowship Purpose

The purpose of the Fellowship is to nurture future Latinx leaders in the finance industry.   As of 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics attributed only 12.7% of the financial industry workforce as being Hispanic.  However, the Hispanic population of our country is 18.9% and aggressively growing.  Our CFF Program is focused on educating and training future finance leaders so that the representation of Latinos in the financial sector workforce will increase by 50% to match the Hispanic population of our country.

With more Latinx leaders in the finance industry, our objective is to not only increase diverse workforce participation in our industry but also groom future board directors by introducing them to corporate governance.  The Latino Corporate Directors Association (“LCDA”) in their 2022 Board Monitor Report stated that, “65 percent of Fortune 1000 boards have no Latino directors, even though 2 in 10 Americans are Latino”.   Latinos contribute “25 percent of the country’s GDP and are responsible for 85 percent of new entrants into the workforce”.  Further, in 2020, Latinos held 4.1% of Fortune 500 board seats compared to 82.5% White, 8.7% Black, and 4.6% Asian (AAPI).  The CFF is also designed to address the wide gap of Latino underrepresentation on corporate boards.

The Penserra Vision

Penserra along with The Penserra Foundation have clear goals to promote Latinx communities one step at a time.  First, Penserra supports high school scholarships to push Latinx youth to pursue a secondary education.  Education is the only solution for allowing the Latinx community to generate wealth for their families, their communities, and to continue fueling U.S. GDP for years to come.  Second, Penserra supports Latinx college students and college graduates through internships and mentorships to attract more diverse talent into the finance industry and other career paths.  Third, the CFF Program was designed to source and groom future Latinx finance leaders who will achieve a high-level of success in Corporate America and who will eventually fill director positions in corporate board rooms.

CFF Program Sessions and Elements

The Fellowship Program is comprised of two separate six-month sessions with a two-week break in between.  Each session contains three learning components that we refer to as elements.  There are six elements in total during the full one-year program.  As the end of Session One approaches, the Fellow can decide to depart CFF to focus on other priorities, like a job hunt or advanced degree.  CFF also reserves the right to end participation during the break.

CFF is seeking college graduates who have completed their undergraduate business degree or related studies within the past six months, including, without limitation, Latinx students, who are interested in exploring career opportunities within the financial services industry.

ow presents subject matter during a firmwide townhall presentation.  The final part of this element will include mock job interviews. 

Conclusion and Job Placement

As you approach the completion of CFF, we will either offer you a position at Penserra or we will assist you in finding a position with another financial services firm.  We will be putting together a recruitment network comprised of our customers who are actively searching for diverse finance candidates for their job openings. 

Application and Selection Process The CFF Program was designed by and is overseen by Penserra and the Penserra Foundation, which is part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit platform.   The CFF Oversite Committee has been formed to evaluate each candidate and oversee the entire program itself.  Our ideal candidates include those that are:

• Recent college graduates who have completed their bachelor’s degree within the past six months.   Candidates with an AA degree will also be considered.
• Able to work from a Chicago, California, or New York City office location.  A hybrid remote work schedule may apply where Fellows are allowed to work from home on Monday, Friday, or both.
• Have earned at least a 3.5 GPA in undergraduate studies and have exhibited strong leadership experience.
• Diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Willing to submit a written essay explaining why they believe they are a strong candidate for the fellowship and how they have exhibited strong leadership experience.

All interested candidates should email their cover letter, resume and written essay to fellowship@penserra.com.