So it's possible that the last week of my internship was one of the busiest weeks of my life- finalising the analysis, preparing for the project handover and final presentation and socialising with colleagues and Saltire alumni- apologies in advance for what's likely to be my longest blog to date!

Now as is always the case, the more you analyse data, the more you realise is wrong... This actually came as little surprise to us but meant that we had to go back to the insurers yet again and ask them to update the data they had provided us with. Until then we were unable do the final analyses to prepare for the big presentation. While waiting for the updates we continued to prepare for the handover- Giles is planning to employ someone to take over the project full time so we've had to make sure everything we used is easily accessible. We also produced an entire booklet outlining our 'journey' through the project so that it is clear to them exactly what we did- including templates, analysis methods, contacts and a glossary. The plan is that the person will replicate our analyses every 6 months, making whatever amendments neccessary, and this will be integrated into the company to aid in both short and long term business ventures.

Now before I tell you about the big presentation I feel I should update you on the social events leading up to the last day. As well as Jenny, Susan and I trying to cram as much as possible into our last week in London (cue Roller Disco, Soho, and Brick Lane, again!) we also enjoyed a birthday lunch with the girls from our side of the office and a few outings with our project manager Matt. It was interesting to hear that he had shared our concerns about the project- not knowing what exactly we were looking for, or how to go about finding it! I think having such little structure has made us take far more initiative though and has really meant that we felt the project was our own. Admittedly I don't think I felt that way at the beginning, but these things always look much better in hindsight!

Oh I should also mention that we were lucky enough to secure a visit to the Lloyd's Building, which is most easily described as the home of the insurance institution (thanks Wikipedia) and if nothing else is an interesting building in terms of it's architecture!

We were given the tour by a Lloyd's broker from the office, Phil, as you can only enter the building with someone who has a pass. It was amazing to see the workings within this unique market- the Underwriting Room is made up of syndicates from various insurance companies, with brokers coming in and out to bring in the business. Furthermore the building contains some impressive memorabilia- Lloyd's keeps a record book of major losses and alongside the current one sits the version from 100 years ago, meaning April 15th next year will see the record of the Titanic sinking. The building also houses an 18th century room which was transported from a previous building, cut apart and replaced brick by brick- it doesn't exactly fit in with the factory-like building but it's by far the grandest room I've ever stood in! Various members of the royal family have also visited Lloyd's and it is filled with trinkets and paintings. Considering the average person's view on insurance, it seems surreal to have such grandeur surrounding the insustry- yet when you hear the history it all makes perfect sense! Or it did to me at the time anyway... Despite all of this, one of the best parts of the visit for me was riding in the lifts- situated on the outside of the building, we've watched many a lucky soul flying up and down the 14 floors, and finally it was us! The views from the top of the building were amazing, stretching over the City of London, finally giving me a chance to see just how high these buildings really are!

Anyway back to the socialising- on Wednesday night my fellow scholars and I were taken out to dinner by Chris Giles (CEO), Sarah Lyons (Group MD) and also Steve Smith (Retail MD), who we had been introduced to earlier that day. This was a fantastic opportunity to catch up and reflect on our experience. Chris pointed out the immense difference between the dinner we had in the first week of the internship and the present evening, 12 weeks later. I think there is a big difference in the three of us individually, as well as in our approach to socialising with such successful individuals. I found it very interesting to hear what Chris had to say about how each of us had grown, having heard feedback from the people we've worked closely with, including those in the Cayman Islands/Tennessee, as well as from his own judgements. He commented on how I was a very ambitious and confident individual and on how I'm going to "take over the world" one day! Watch this space...

Thursday night saw us meeting with some of the Saltire Alumni situated in and around London, including Katie and her sister who happened to be in London at the time! It was great to meet so many people who had had a similar experience and to hear all of their stories. With only 1 day of my internship left I was really sad to realise that I would soon be like them, talking about 'my summer in 2011'! It's been such an amazing 12 weeks I just can't believe there's no more of it to still to come! I found it interesting to see what each of the previous scholars were doing now, and the effect the Saltire Foundation had. I couldn't help but be reminded of all the things I'd read when applying- about the power of networking and the opportunities Saltire present- and realising that it was all pretty much true! 

So Friday morning came and Susan, Jenny and I put the finishing touches to our presentation and handover pack. With Chris, Sarah and another four directors present we delivered our presentation, detailing our findings, as well as showcasing the positives of our internship, the limitations we came across and our recommendations for the continuation of the project. It was really satisfying to see how engaged the board were in our presentation- asking questions, making requests for further information and talking of using our findings in deal meetings. Chris made a point of outlining how important our project has been for the company and we received some very valuable praise from him and the others afterwards.

(Jenny, Susan and I with Chris Giles on our fundraising day)

After the presentation we then each received our evaluation from our supervisors, Nick and Matt. It felt strange to be evaluated by them considering it has seemed like a team effort, particularly towards the end of the project. They started by asking us to evaluate ourselves before they added their input. Again it was interesting to hear what they're impressions of me had been, but on reflection I can't say I'm surprised by what they said- it's just not what I've ever seen in myself before!

So after more business card exchanges and LinkedIn requests, we packed up our things and left the office for the last time! We headed out for our leaving night- our last night in London- and said our goodbyes to everyone. This was nothing compared to the goodbyes Jenny, Susan and I had in Glasgow though (sob!) and the train journey I had from Glasgow to home would have been very lonely if it hadn't been for the fact that I was definitely back in Scotland and hence made a great number of friends on the train! In all seriousness I couldn't imagine two better people to have spent my summer in London with and it feels weird to not see them every day now!

So that's it from London- it's been amazing and I probably won't stop talking about it for a very long time now!

Sarah x