Shaping a career with Thomas Enns

A strategy analyst reflects on finding his place in finance.

If there’s anything we love to see, it’s an interesting career path – especially when we can help an associate land in a role that they’re passionate about. With the right team and a culture that supports big goals, anything is possible. This is something that Thomas Enns, a sr. strategy analyst at Capital One Canada, has experienced first hand over the last three years. We had the opportunity to learn more about his journey from intern to full-time associate:

“Honestly, ending up here was a happy accident! I was an engineering student looking for a taste of the finance world. When I spotted a data science internship on my school’s job board, all I really knew was that Capital One was a major financial institution. The real selling point? The interviewers. They were incredibly sharp, and I immediately knew I wanted to learn from them. Since then, I’ve grown a deep appreciation for our amazing culture, which is a magnet for brilliant, collaborative people.”

Becoming a strategy analyst

Many of our associates start as interns or new grads, learning from people leaders and mentors along the way. As Thomas knows, sometimes the people you surround yourself with can see your potential before you even realize it:

“I kicked things off with a data science internship. While I was decent at it, I found myself gravitating toward the broader business strategy side of things. My leaders caught on quickly and, without me even having to ask, proactively connected me with strategy analysts across different teams. Learning about the large-scale impact strategy analysts have on our business direction inspired me to pivot. I ended up returning as a strategy analyst intern on the Credit Limit Increase team, and eventually returned to that team full-time after graduation. I’ve stayed on that team since, where I’ve had the opportunity to solve progressively more complex problems.”

You might be wondering what the day-to-day of a strategy analyst looks like. Thomas is happy to share:

“I spend about half of my day deep in the weeds of analysis by untangling complex problems and modeling the impact of our current and future business strategies. But it’s definitely not a solo endeavour! The role is inherently collaborative. The rest of my time is spent bouncing ideas off teammates and working across multiple teams to bring these projects to life and push our mission forward. The strategic changes that we implement allow us to increase access to credit across Canada and support customers on their credit building journey.”

Building a culture of trust

We love hearing the different ways that each associate experiences life within our walls, because you can’t mandate a culture – it’s created by each of us. For Thomas, the words ‘collaboratively brilliant’ come to mind when he reflects on our culture:

“Capital One is filled with people who maybe didn’t know exactly what they wanted out of their careers at first, but knew they wanted a challenge and a place to make a tangible impact. What makes the culture so special is that everyone is genuinely invested in helping you grow to meet those challenges. You are surrounded by brilliant minds, but you’re never expected to figure it out alone.”

Finding joy in the day-to-day

Recognizing that we spend quite a bit of time at work, we know how important it is to carve out space to connect with peers. We make that possible through Business Resource Groups (BRGs), where associates can share in each other’s cultures and passions, and company-wide events, where long-lasting memories are made:

“Our BRGs and company events are the heartbeat of our culture. They do an amazing job of making a large company feel like a tight-knit community. One of my absolute favourite memories really highlights the ability of events like these to create genuine connections, regardless of someone's title or tenure. I was a first-year analyst at our summer fun event, which featured an inflatable jousting arena. My friends and I were joking about challenging the "big boss" (the President of Capital One Canada), whom I had only spoken to once, to a match. I actually went through with it (maybe a bold move at the time!), and although he took some convincing, everyone gathered to watch the leader of an 800-person team and a junior analyst duke it out with giant foam sticks. Although I was not victorious, a picture of that match now hangs framed in his office!”

Looking to the future

As we think about what we have planned for the next year and beyond, there are lots of things to be excited about. Thomas is focused on the growth we have ahead of us.

“Our team has grown incredibly lately, welcoming a lot of fantastic interns and new graduates. This year, I am really looking forward to seeing them come into their own and make their mark. As they ramp up, I'm also excited for the opportunity to step up as a mentor, take on more leadership responsibilities within the team, and pass along the same kind of guidance that helped me when I first started.”

No one knows what it takes to thrive at Capital One like the people who are solving some of our most interesting and exciting challenges. We’ll leave you with Thomas’s best piece of advice for anyone considering a career at Capital One:

“Be truth-seeking above all else. To me, this means two things. First, stay relentlessly curious – ask questions and actively learn about teams or projects that might fall outside your immediate scope. Second, know when to say, ‘I don't know.’ The insights we provide as analysts shape highly consequential business decisions. You need to have absolute trust in the information you share, which means having the confidence to say, ‘I will have to look into that,’ when you get a question you don't have a solid answer for yet.”

Ready to take on a new challenge and learn the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind our work at Capital One? Check out our open roles. You could work with driven associates like Thomas and our team of talented analysts to help solve some of our most complex challenges from day one.