eFinancialCareers

• Headquarters' Location:

  New York City, USA

• Presence:

  One of the largest financial services groups in the world.

• Number of Employees:

  100,000+

• Revenues:

  SG CIB generated net banking income of nearly EUR 5.7 billion and an ROE after tax of 44.4% at year-end 2005.

• Website:

  http://www.sgcib.com

Company Snapshot

Societe Generale is one of the largest financial services groups in the world, employing more than 100,000 people in three key business groups:

• Retail Banking & Financial Services: Societe Generale serves approximately 19 million individual customers worldwide.

• Global Investment Management & Services: Societe Generale is one of the largest banks in the euro-zone in terms of assets under custody (EUR 1,317 billion, September 2005) and under management (EUR 370 billion, September 2005).

• Corporate & Investment Banking: Societe Generale’s strategy in this arena has resulted in its being ranked first among all banks in Europe over the last several years in terms of return on equity (ROE), an important measure of the profitability and soundness of a financial institution.

The Corporate & Investment Banking division (SG CIB) serves corporate clients and investors in 45 countries. It is recognized by its clients for its innovation and execution capabilities in its three main areas of focus: Euro Capital Markets, Derivatives and Structured Finance. The division regularly earns top rankings in international league tables and aims to generate recurrent revenue streams by developing its client-driven activity on the back of innovative solutions underpinned by extensive product and sector expertise.

The aim of Societe Generale’s Corporate & Investment Banking platform is threefold:

• in Europe, to be a reference bank for its selected clients, specializing in euro capital market products, derivatives and structured finance, as well as offering M&A services to targeted European clients mostly involved in French transactions;

• in the Americas, to serve the global financial needs of select multinational clients and to offer financial solutions to certain specialized industries;

• in Asia, to serve the global financial needs of local and multinational clients.

Culture & History

US Business
Established in the United States since 1938, Societe Generale has chosen to operate in certain clearly defined and profitable sectors. This targeted strategy has allowed the firm to become a leader in specific US markets such as equity derivatives and structured finance. In the field of corporate banking, Societe Generale is the fourth largest foreign bank in the US by non-retail assets according to Federal Reserve data.

For many years Societe Generale was the only French bank with branch status in the US. From 1970 through the 1990s the Bank refined its business strategy and opened branches in cities that were geographically strategic to their clients and sectors: Chicago, for its proximity to the headquarters of multinational companies based in the Midwest; Houston, for the oil industry; Dallas, for real estate; San Francisco and Los Angeles, for the economic power of the West Coast. The New York office, in Rockefeller Center, continues to be headquarters for the firm’s coverage of the US; the Bank recently opened a technologically state-of-the-art office nearby in Jersey City to house 400 operations, technology, finance and securities services staff.

SG CIB has positioned itself in highly profitable sectors in the US where its expertise enjoys worldwide recognition. One of these sectors is energy, including oil & gas and utilities, an activity where the bank's skills in project finance and derivatives complement its commodities and syndication expertise. The media/telecom, gaming & lodging, and sports finance sectors are other strong points in the US. SG CIB also works very closely with giant US multinationals and with European and Asian conglomerates that have US operations.

Recently, financial institutions represent a growing proportion of the Bank’s US portfolio, especially where its derivatives expertise sets it apart from the competition. As an example, SG CIB’s derivatives and alternative investment products have become very attractive to US hedge funds and bank distribution networks. Just last year, the firm acquired the structured investments business of Bank of America and integrated it into its established Equity Derivatives business.

The Corporate & Investment Banking division supports its debt products in the US through the Societe Generale branch and its equity, origination and advisory services through two broker-dealers, SG Americas Securities, LLC and SG Cowen & Co., LLC.

Aside from Corporate & Investment Banking, Societe Generale operates substantial brokerage and asset management businesses through its Fimat and Trust Company of the West (TCW) subsidiaries. Fimat has been operating in the US since 1989, first in Chicago and then in New York, and it now ranks as one of the largest US brokers for derivatives, raw materials and financial products. TCW was acquired in 2001 in order to expand Societe Generale’s expertise in managing US assets, equities and bonds. Based in Los Angeles and New York, the subsidiary now has over $123 billion in assets under management, a figure that has grown strongly over the past five years.

Financial Facts

SG CIB generated net banking income of nearly EUR 5.7 billion and an ROE after tax of 44.4% at year-end 2005. Its business model is based on a balance between corporate and investment banking activity, a clear focus on its three areas of expertise and a careful management of risks and costs. This has led the bank to be one of the most profitable CIB businesses in the euro zone on a sustained basis (2002 after tax ROE 14.2%, 2003 after tax ROE 30.1%, 2004 after tax ROE 41.4%).

Training & Development

Employer of Choice
With a total domestic workforce of over 3,200 employees, 2,100 of which work in the Corporate & Investment Banking division, the US represents one of Societe Generale’s biggest overseas operations. The vast majority of the workforce is locally based, whereas a little more than 10% are expatriates. This helps the Bank achieve a culturally diverse mix of work styles, personalities and talents.

Societe Generale has ambitious international development plans for 2006, with a broad range of career opportunities in France and across the world directed at an increasingly wide range of cultural and educational profiles. The organization is known for its innovative, dynamic and driven staff. Top educational credentials are a must as well as a potential recruit’s approach to problem-solving, performance and sense of entrepreneurship.

Those who join Societe Generale are offered a variety of opportunities in terms of business and geographic scope. Areas of opportunity exist in derivative products, capital market activities, debt financing, structured finance, syndications, fixed income and financial advisory services, as well as comprehensive support function activities.

Although the Bank is not a household name in the US, Societe Generale has successfully established a solid reputation within its areas of expertise. It is recognized as one of the top European banking firms and top industry rankings regularly confirm Societe Generale’s global leadership in euro capital markets, derivatives and structured finance. Its Corporate & Investment Banking activities are fully international. English is the common language in the firm’s offices worldwide and employees find themselves exposed to a spectrum of business practices, strategies, work habits and communication styles.

Societe Generale’s core values – embraced by staff around the world - are Innovation, Professionalism and Team Spirit. Job seekers who share these ideals and who are interested in joining the US team of a successful international corporate and investment bank are invited to search Societe Generale openings and submit qualifications through this web site or via e-mail:
us-careers@sgcib.com