Rhys Cornelius: From studying Economics at Liverpool to analysing global insurance markets

Posted on: 7 October 2025 in Where are they now?

Rhys Cornelius
Picture Credit - Rhys Cornelius

Rhys Cornelius reflects on his journey from studying Economics at Liverpool to working in global finance, shares career insights and looks ahead to what’s next.

What made you choose to study BSc Economics at the University of Liverpool Management School? 

Honestly, studying Economics was a given for me, I had really enjoyed it at A-level. What sold Liverpool for me was the strong emphasis on employability through allowing me to complete a placement year as well as spend a year studying abroad in China. This (to my knowledge) is a unique opportunity to Liverpool! 

You were involved in several student societies such as Debating and Economics. What skills and experiences did you gain from these extracurricular activities? 

Societies played a huge part of my first year, as they allowed me to rapidly expand my social circles to more than just my classmates and flatmates. Especially as people going to society events already have a common interest it made it much easier to make new friends. 

You completed a year in industry at Intel during your studies. What were your main responsibilities and what did you learn from the 12-month placement? 

The main responsibilities were forecasting customer demand as well as pricing bespoke deals to some of our highest expected growth customers. But the main learning came from working in a professional environment and experiencing corporate events, challenges, etc. This helped me understand what to look for when I looked for jobs after graduation. 

Rhys Cornelius Intel

You also took part in a study abroad exchange at XJTLU in China. What were some of the highlights and most memorable experiences from your year there? 

The most impressive thing about this opportunity is the ability to immerse yourself in a culture that you hear so much about and challenge any assumptions I had made. The travelling opportunities are amazing, I did 10 trips around China (cheap travel and hotels) and a trip to Japan! Also, it stands out on the CV. 

After your undergraduate degree, you pursued a Master’s in Economics and Finance at King’s College London. How did you find the transition to postgraduate study? 

Postgraduate study (at least in my experience) was like another third year of study. It was difficult, but also, I was ready for it after having a more chilled out year in China. The key thing is to remember what worked for you in third year and repeat it. 

What new perspectives or skills did the master’s programme give you that helped prepare you for your career? 

My master’s programme really helped me understand the real-world perspectives of Economics, as it focused more on when the real world differs from theory. This helped me prepare for my career by learning to adapt what I had learnt in the classroom to what I was seeing day to day. 

You now work as a Global Specialties Analyst at Guy Carpenter. What does your role involve on a day-to-day basis? 

My day to day involves looking at data from both insurance companies and reinsurance companies, meeting with them and discussing how they are doing compared to their competitors. Working in global specialties is amazing for me as I was able to utilise my language skills and worldview on day one. 

Looking ahead, what are your plans for the future? 

To achieve my ACII qualification (which my degrees at Liverpool and KCL get me exemptions for) and complete the graduate scheme. After that I hope to use my industry knowledge combined with the people skills I will develop from my broking side of the role to lead teams, which is something I am very passionate about. 

What advice would you give to current students who want to follow a similar path? 

Regardless of degree, I believe (from my own experience and talking to others) that a year in industry/summer internship is immensely valuable, therefore leverage careers teams regardless of university (although the weekly Economics job posting from Liverpool were very helpful!). And the opportunity that Liverpool offers to get study aboard experience as well wraps up a well-rounded package. 

What would you recommend to graduates aspiring to enter the economics and finance industries? 

Network where possible, I have many friends who got referred to jobs from people they had only briefly met. This allowed them to skip some of the interview processes which increased their odds drastically. 

Thank you to Rhys for sharing his career journey so far.

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