A bright kid gets a finance degree from a top university, follows it with an MBA from one of Europe’s best business schools, works a finance job, and the salary takes care of itself.
It’s a tidy equation, the kind that shows up in university brochures and LinkedIn career advice.
Arya Matamedi has lived through most of that equation — Accounting and Finance at the University of Warwick, an MBA at SDA Bocconi, over a decade in wealth management, and a current role as an Investment Advisor at MIO Partners, the low-profile investment arm of McKinsey & Company that exclusively serves current and former McKinsey partners.
But, when asked whether the formula actually holds, his answer is more careful than the brochures would suggest.
As he says: “I don’t think there’s a formula that guarantees a high salary.”
SDA Bocconi School of Management is a top international business school founded in 1971 as part of Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. It holds prestigious triple-crown accreditation. Source: Arya Matamedi
A path that started somewhere else
Matamedi didn’t grow up around finance. Born in London to Persian parents who had left Iran in the 1970s, he was raised in a household with no obvious link to the industry — his father ran a small fashion retail business while his mother worked in real estate. For years, he was convinced he’d become a doctor.
But at 15 years old, he discovered finance and was fascinated by the industry. Without any established connections, though, he knew he had to create opportunities for himself.
From that point on, he threw himself at every opportunity he could find to learn more, whether through his studies, work experience, extracurricular activities or simply reaching out to people working in the industry
“Looking back, those experiences shaped my perception of the industry,” Matamedi says. “I came to see finance as a place where talent and hard work were recognised, where people were trusted with meaningful responsibility early in their careers, and where empowerment and accountability formed an important part of the culture.”
That really appealed to Matamedi and made pursuing an accounting and finance degree at the University of Warwick a “very natural next step.”
Moving on to an MBA
By the time Matamedi applied to Bocconi, he was already several years into a career at Coutts & Co, advising some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs, executives and families on managing their wealth.
“Advising some of the UK’s most influential and successful entrepreneurs, executives and families on how to manage their wealth was both intellectually stimulating and hugely rewarding,” he explains.
Knowing that he wanted a long-term career in wealth management, he decided to broaden his perspective beyond investments alone. A finance degree was no longer enough — he wanted something that covered more ground, like an MBA.
“Behind every investment is a business, and behind every successful business are leaders making strategic decisions every day,” he says.
He thus joined Bocconi, which also allowed him to get a study abroad experience. Studying in Italy and interacting with new people in a new environment gave him a wider lens on business and leadership than staying put ever could have.
Wealth management is a professional service that combines financial planning, investment advice, and tax or estate planning to grow and protect the money of high-net-worth clients. Source: Arya Matamedi
Does a finance degree and career make you good money?
While Matamedi’s career definitely sounds like that of a high flyer’s, he emphasises that it’s not guaranteed that you’d make the big bucks.
“A finance degree from a strong university and a top MBA can certainly increase your opportunities, but academic success doesn’t automatically translate into professional success,” he says.“Ultimately, your career is shaped by your performance, your judgement, your relationships and your willingness to keep learning long after you’ve left the classroom.”
He adds that it’s also important to recognise that “finance” isn’t one career. Investment banking, private equity, asset management, wealth management, and corporate finance all have very different compensation structures and career paths.
Does an MBA increase your earning potential?
To Matamedi, the MBA has helped him access opportunities he may not have pursued otherwise. But he thinks its biggest impact might be changing how he thinks about success.
“Early in my career, I probably viewed it primarily through the lens of salary and job title,” he explains. “Today, I think just as much about the quality of the work, the people I work with, the opportunity to keep learning and whether I’m building a career that’s sustainable over the long term.”
That, he believes, may be one of the most valuable lessons from his time at SDA Bocconi.
“Broadly speaking, though, careers that offer the potential for high levels of compensation also tend to come with high expectations,” he reminds.
This is generally true in industries such as finance, but also technology, consulting, or any other competitive industry.
“There isn’t an easy route to earning a good living,” he says. “Sustained success usually comes from becoming excellent at what you do rather than chasing compensation alone.”
With his finance degree and MBA, Matamedin now works as an Investment Advisor for a portfolio of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and high-net-worth (HNW) clients. Source: Arya Matamedi
Entering the industry as a young person
For those entering the profession, Matamedi believes it’s important to focus on building a niche rather than trying to know a little about everything. That’s increasingly vital because of AI’s role.
“If I were speaking to a 20-year-old, I’d probably share a few simple principles. Firstly, don’t expect your first job to be easy,” he advises. “The transition from university into the workplace is challenging regardless of the industry and everyone makes mistakes. That’s completely normal. Learn from them, keep improving and don’t let setbacks define you.”
Secondly, be persistent and think long term. Matamedi points out that careers are rarely linear and very few people follow the path they imagined at 20 years old.
“Every role, project and challenge teaches you something, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time,” he says. “Early in your career, almost any experience has value because it helps you understand what you’re good at, what you enjoy, and where you want to grow.”
As for his final pearl of wisdom, it’s simple but effective: work hard, stay curious and keep an open mind. Matamedi believes that opportunity has a “funny way” of finding people who consistently put in the effort and are willing to say yes when new challenges present themselves.
Looking back at his career and academic choices, Matamedi is filled with pride and confidence. “I’d absolutely follow the same path again, although if you’d asked me at 15 where it would lead, I could never have predicted it. Ultimately, one of the greatest things to come from my MBA wasn’t career-related at all, it was meeting my wife. That’s been the most important outcome of the entire experience, and something I wouldn’t change for the world.”
The views and opinions expressed by the interviewee are solely their own and are provided in a personal capacity. They do not reflect the views of MIO Partners, or its parent organisation, McKinsey & Co.
