FDM Alumna, Chelsea Du Wins the RBC Gold Award

After graduating from the University of Toronto with a double major in Mathematics and Economics, Chelsea Du came across FDM at a career fair, specifically being drawn into the IT-oriented Business Analysis roles our Toronto Academy offered. Chelsea joined the academy in 2014 and after completing her training in the IT Service Management stream she was placed with RBC. Now part of the FDM alumni network, Chelsea has gone on to secure a permanent role with RBC and recently won the RBC Gold Award.

As part of Chelsea’s daily responsibilities, she supports multiple trading applications. With urgent troubleshooting issues, Chelsea looks to find a workaround or temporary solution before working with the development team on a more permanent solution. She is also responsible for creating ad-hoc reports to feed business needs. The most rewarding part of Chelsea’s job is when she is able to “work closely with traders to provide help and support on applications that affect performance on the trading floor.”

Chelsea was awarded the Gold Award at the 2018 RBC Performance Gala. These prestigious awards are given out quarterly to employees within RBC Capital Markets IT for outstanding performance and contribution to the business. Chelsea notes that she was surprised when she learned that she had won but is very thankful for the recognition. Since former FDM consultants may only be nominated once they have been permanent RBC employees for a full year, this was the first year Chelsea was eligible to be included. The awards consist of four categories with two winners per category. The Gold Award is the second highest award category and Chelsea joins other FDM Alumni who have also received the award in previous years.

When asked what her advice to current FDM consultants and trainees would be, Chelsea recommends to “learn everything FDM teaches because 100% of it will be useful on-site.” In addition, she says, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are in doubt.” She notes that teamwork and communication skills are also essential in helping consultants get ahead in their careers and be recognised by their managers.

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