Julia Sulc

“I’ve worked in six countries, in various industries and different roles, with people of different nationalities, cultures and languages. And I’ve found that variety again here at MSCI.”

Julia didn’t always know she wanted to go into data science. In fact, her colourful career history began with a role as a reception supervisor at the Hilton Hotel in Prague and a bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality Management, before she landed a place in the Finance Manager Training program at the Four Seasons in Doha, Qatar. After a year in the desert, and some time in the UK, Julia joined PwC in Zurich, where she worked in hospitality and investor consulting.

“With a growing interest in finance, I decided to tackle the CFA (Charted Financial Analyst) Program. In the meantime, however, I also discovered a new passion for programming and data science. This led to me starting a part-time master’s in data science and switching to the data analytics team.

The plan was to finish the CFA in 2020, but due to COVID the exams were cancelled twice. Now, after a busy five months in my new job with MSCI and a lot of intense studying, I was finally able to take the last exam – and I passed!”

In Julia’s new role as a Data Scientist at our Climate Risk Center, she has been able to combine her interest in sustainable finance and financial modelling with her communication skills acquired in the hospitality industry.

“I’m involved in project management for a new product, which involves organizing workstreams, process development and communication across different teams, translating requirements into code and client communication. From a financial perspective, my role also includes understanding how our models deal with different financial instruments.”

And what has Julia enjoyed the most about her time with MSCI so far?

“My team is amazing – I can bring in ideas, work freely and independently and I can see a clear purpose in my work, which is very important to me. But what I love the most is the steep learning curve I’ve had since joining – I’m continuously learning about climate risks, and it’s great to be part of a company that’s helping to drive change.”