Ipswich Building Society has successfully completed a partnership with the University of Suffolk Business School by hosting a international student on a month-long internship.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) student Yohana Evana is due to graduate next year following her return to Indonesia.

Working within the building society’s risk team, Yohana was required to interview members of senior and executive management teams in assisting with the delivery of a key project which focused on the risk culture across the business. She also helped to create an enterprise risk management framework to support team development.

Mark Nash, general manager for risk and compliance at Ipswich Building Society, said: “Yohana has contributed to an important part of our enterprise risk management framework, and provided some excellent insight for us. It was a pleasure to have her support the team during the summer.”

Yohana Evana said: “I have hugely enjoyed my time at the Ipswich Building Society and it has been a fascinating learning experience. I have been able to spend time with senior managers and gain an overview of the business and specifically the risk function.”

The Ipswich Building Society, a holder of Youth Pledge Marque which recognises employer support for younger people, is committed to supporting the education and development of young people in the local area and in the past year has employed eight apprentices in a range of roles, including finance and marketing, and has offered numerous work experience placements to students in Suffolk.

Richard Norrington, the society’s chief executive, said: “I am pleased to have established this partnership with the University of Suffolk. We are keen to support students in the world of work, and will continue to offer opportunities within our head office and our branches throughout Suffolk.”

Dr Atul Shah, professor of accounting and finance at the University of Suffolk Business School, added: “I am delighted to hear that Yohana’s placement at Ipswich Building Society has been a success. It is an important development tool for our students to be able to spend time in the workplace, learning first-hand the challenges involved and putting their knowledge into practice.”