By Nathan Herrera
21 Apr 2026
In this team story, we hear from Nathan Herrera, who shares his journey from graduating from university to becoming an Assistant Manager in GE’s Deal Advisory team.
What’s your journey been like from joining GE to becoming fully qualified?
After graduating from the University of York with a degree in Economics, I spent six months as a bricklayer’s apprentice before joining the Audit Team at Gerald Edelman – my first corporate role. The transition meant learning corporate life quickly, adapting to new workplace dynamics, and communicating confidently with senior stakeholders. I was given responsibility early, and that hands-on experience really accelerated my learning.
Working with clients across multiple industries, I was often thrown in at the deep end – including assignments that took me as far as Dallas, Texas. Every project was a chance to learn something new and gave me a great opportunity to understand how businesses operate by speaking directly with their teams and senior management. During those four years in Audit, I became ACA qualified and worked on some complex and interesting scenarios. That period taught me to analyse financial statements, understand complex businesses, and work effectively under pressure – skills that continue to underpin my work today.
How have you found working in different departments at GE, and how do they vary?
In Audit, the work is very detail-focused. You’re testing different areas of the financial statements, digging into the numbers, and challenging assumptions to get comfortable that everything stacks up. It teaches you to be thorough, think critically, and get comfortable working under pressure, especially during busy periods.
Deal Advisory builds on that, but the context is completely different. Instead of looking backwards, you’re focused on what’s next – helping clients understand performance, identify risks, and make decisions in real time. It’s much faster-paced, and you’re often working to tight deadlines with a clear commercial outcome.
The core skillset carries over, but the mindset shifts. In Audit, you’re validating what’s already happened. In Deal Advisory, you’re forming a view and helping shape decisions.
What has had the biggest impact on your progression since qualifying?
Probably securing my first deal and advising on the private equity investment into Strata FSC. It gave me confidence in my abilities, reinforced my career direction and demonstrated the impact I could have in a strategic advisory role.
What kind of support did you find most valuable during the qualification period?
Open conversations with partners about career goals were invaluable, helping me understand the opportunities available and the steps I needed to take. The mentoring programme also played a key role, having someone like Nick Wallis guide me through the qualification, and now, continuing to receive support from my current mentor, has been instrumental in shaping my career.
If you were starting again today, would you do anything differently?
I’m very happy with how everything has unfolded. The challenges, the opportunities, and the variety of experiences I’ve had all contributed to where I am today, and I wouldn’t change much.
What is your favourite thing to do outside of work?
I like to keep active and make the most of my time outside of work. I enjoy hiking and getting outdoors when I can, going to spin and reformer classes, and experimenting with sourdough baking and cooking at home. It’s a good balance of staying active and switching off – and baking is a great way to slow things down after a busy week.
If you had to pick one song to listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Brazil by Declan McKenna. It’s one of those songs I never get tired of.
