A participant in a flagship Co-operation Ireland youth programme run in partnership with banking giant Morgan Stanley who credits taking part with changing his life has been promoted to a Specialist Vice President role with banking giant BNY Mellon.

Aaron Murphy is an alumnus of ‘Banking on the Future’ which brings students from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and London together for two days in Canary Wharf where they are given a unique insight into the working of the bank.

The aim of the student diversity program, organised by the Net Éire group within the bank, is to bring young people from both sides of the community in Ireland together with London delegates from various ethnic backgrounds.

The agenda is jammed packed covering diversity, team-building, project management and networking and almost 250 students have taken part over ten years.

The students build confidence, improve communication, and generally broaden their horizons during their time in London.

Aaron Murphy, who now works in the financial sector, said before taking part his life was shaping up to be very different.

“’Banking on the Future’ changed my life. Before I went on this project, I had dropped out of school after my Junior Cert with the attitude I would not be returning.

“But my attitude changed when I took part in ‘Banking on the Future’. I returned to Dublin and decided to go back to school to complete my Leaving Cert, and then went on to college to study business and finance.” Murphy graduated with a Level 8 BA Honours in Accounting from National College of Ireland in 2017.

“I now work in finance with BNY Mellon in Dublin have recently been promoted to a senior position within the Client Services Team.”