Joseph Chirwa

At work

The atmosphere at Credit Swiss is simply extraordinary. Everyone I interacted with was friendly, accommodative and very supportive. My very first day at work was hit with so many lunch invites and this amazed me . As a result, I quickly integrated and settled. At Credit Suisse, many things caught my attention such as the peculiar work culture, innovation and creativity supportive environment, teamwork etc. These were clearly demonstrated at all levels, be it with individuals, in the department and the bank in general. This enabled me to develop my interpersonal skills, creative mind and professionalism.

At the core of everything I have learned and become was my mentor. He combined economics and real estate immaculately. He cleverly helped me develop my research and interpersonal skills, creativity, innovativeness and professionalism as he let me have hands on analyzing real estate markets, data, attend meetings and presentations of my own researched. My mentor was flexible, supportive and made sure I had a broader understanding of real estate and the bank in general by introducing me to several departments within Asset Management. Through this, besides real estate research, I managed to learn about fixed income, sustainability,  property asset management, development and construction, acquisition, finance, insurance linked securities, real estate funds among several other themes. I owe my mentor and the entire team in Global Real Estate many thanks.

My Swiss host family

Being raised by different people and in different parts of the country in Zambia made me not to know what to expect from a family in Switzerland as at several times I encountered surprises. To my amazement, the experience I had with Elisabeth and Hans was special. The atmosphere at the Niederer family was welcoming from the very first day and I quickly, if not immediately, became part of the family. Elisabeth gave me that experience of  a mother I had not experienced in a long time. I felt genuinely loved, cared for and supported at all times and whenever I needed anything. For the whole period I stayed with the Niederer family, I didn’t feel like I was in a foreign country but at home. We shared so many things during and after dinner. I was so impressed that they were willing to taste the Zambian food and they liked it. We also visited many places and cities during weekends such as Flumserberg, Amden, Rapperswil, Lausanne among several others. I am so grateful for all they did.

Highlights and challenges

I found Switzerland to be very different in many things from Zambia. The transportation system is efficient but difficult to use at the beginning. Generally, the Swiss people are friendly but the language barrier often times made it a challenge to effectively communicate. It was exciting to experience and touch snow for the very first time. During weekends, I took time to travel and explore Switzerland and managed to see the beautiful mountains of Flumserberg, Amden and Rigi the Queen of the mountains. I did some Ice-skating, sledging and rode on several ships and  the Rollercoaster.

My future plans

My most immediate plan is to complete my master’s degree and at the same time also grow my business significantly. For the long term, I intend to apply the knowledge acquired here and research skills to build the real estate database for my country and surrounding areas. As I grow in my career and entrepreneurship, ultimately, I intend to give back to society through education support programs to the vulnerable.

My personal message

With initiatives such as this one provided by B360 education partnerships, many developing countries will be on their path to inclusive and sustainable growth. I am so grateful to B360 education partnerships and Credit Suisse for the internship opportunity. This has helped me bring into perspective my life’s goals and objectives through the exposure in an advanced business environment at Credit Suisse and Switzerland. Such initiatives are really bridging the gap for many developing countries and as such we should expect accelerated growth in many of these developing countries around the world.