The First Day Jitters and the CEO of Google-Lars Halverson

Bruegel is a European economic think-tank that is independent of external influences and is non-doctrinal. Bruegel serves to improve the quality of economic policy by delivering unbiased and facts-based research that stimulates discussion between public and private institutions. Bruegel strives to make informed policy suggestions to empower European politicians and other institutional figures; all the while giving these parties peace of mind because they know that these suggestions were derived in an unbiased manner. The organization chooses to research issues that are relevant; issues that require action to better the world or mitigate damage. These areas of research include the following: European macroeconomics and governance, global economics and governance, finance and financial regulation, innovation and competition, and energy and climate. The attention given to each of these areas and the specific topics within them vary depending on current events. This is a brief look into my first day as an operations and finance intern.

I remember how I felt on my first day at Bruegel. It was a typical day in Brussels, cloudy and chilly. I walked briskly for ten minutes to Delta, the nearest metro stop from my apartment complex. I remember repeatedly checking my maps application on my phone to ensure I was on the correct train and headed toward my stop Art-Loi in a timely manner. I walked another five minutes—more hurriedly now--from my stop before arriving. Who would I be working with? What skills will be expected of me? These were the questions that were running through my head as the elevator rose steadily towards my floor. Upon arriving, I was warmly greeted by the office receptionist and executive assistant and given a full tour of the office. Then I was shown to my desk and was told to wait and review some on-boarding materials. I was told that my supervisor was busy, so in the meantime I should attend the Bruegel-sponsored google event that was a short 15-minute walk downtown.

Pictured:Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google

I arrived early before the event started with a fellow intern that worked in development and the room was packed with very well-dressed individuals (thankfully I was wearing appropriate clothing as I over-dressed the first day). My new colleague and I grabbed a few hors d’oeurvres and quickly found our seats in the very back as people began to trickle towards the staged area. A few minutes went by and to my left two figures emerged from heavy metal doors, followed by a procession of other executives. On the left was Guntram Wolfe, director of Bruegel. On the right was Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google. I was in awe. My very first “day on the job” and the CEO of google was standing less than ten feet from me. The two men proceeded to the front and discussed the implications of artificial intelligence privacy and its applications as well as sustainable projects that google was working on. The conversation was fascinating and after it ended, I met many of my new colleagues.

I cannot promise that my next few blogs will feature events as exciting as this one but stay tuned to hear about lessons learned, commentary on globally relevant events, and how COVID-19 brought an abrupt end to my experience abroad in Belgium!