STA Blog

The STA has for some years been using the National Liberal Club on the Embankment at Charing Cross for special events. A members-only striking venue in an excellent location, I think all members look forward to these get-togethers. In September, when Liberal politicians are away at their annual conference (Brighton in 2024), the STA Celebration is combined with a ceremony to acknowledge those who have passed their STA Part 2 Diploma exam – with a professional photographer to mark the event.

Invitations are sent out to all successful graduates based in Britain, and all STA members anywhere; sometimes people travel from far away to attend. This year we were delighted to welcome Yash Hamlai who flew in from Oman to collect his certificate – which he passed with a distinction. He’d chosen the STA course because, after a Masters in finance, he was disappointed when trading and felt he needed more structure. A total of 49 people passed the paper and 15 attended our event on the 11th September.

Hailing from Prague for a third year running was Tomas Novotny who likes visiting London and having the chance to meet people with similar interests. He specialises in creating and maintaining indices for natural gas shipping. Also worth knowing: he stays at one of the Halls of Residence of the London School of Economics which is close by.

French but based in London, Aurelien Lafaille also passed the exam. He chose our Diploma course because he knew it was good and that it would be useful to his career (currently working at EDF Trading). With him was Jed Brooke-Williams who is fairly new to technical analysis but has a background in energy. Currently working at Commodities People, running their future leadership initiative, he will be hosting by invitation only workshops at their London conference later this month.

Canapés and drinks plentiful, and more importantly, plenty of time for networking. A truly worthwhile industry gathering.