Toby Cotter

Toby Cotter graduated from The University of Otago in 2025, having spent three years studying Finance and Psychology in the beautiful Dunedin. His studies gave him a strong foundation of corporate finance, alongside deeper understandings of human behaviour and decision-making.

His learning was brought to life through two internships at Gilligan Sheppard during the 2024/25 Summer Break and July Semester Break. These experiences enhanced and enriched knowledge learnt at university as it was now applied to real-world scenarios and problems. The team at GS not only supported his development but helped him transition from university into the professional world smoothly and confidently. Their willingness to mentor, challenge, and guide him has been one of the most rewarding parts of joining the firm.

He chose this field because he’s always been drawn to problem-solving and understanding how businesses work behind the numbers. Finance offers a balance of analytical challenge and meaningful impact that can be quantified, which he finds incredibly rewarding. Although he enjoys getting stuck into the numbers and producing reports that are direct and clear, his favourite part of the role is meeting people. As a graduate, learning from others’ experience and developing genuine relationships has been incredibly valuable. Even when he is mostly listening during a meeting, the insights he gains from such a skilled team and diverse range of clients rival that of university.

The projects he enjoys most are those he can take from concept to completion. Seeing the transformation from initial discussions to a refined, high-quality final product gives him a real sense of satisfaction and pride in the work he delivers. His advice to clients is to ask questions and stay engaged. The best outcomes happen when clients and advisors work together openly, a philosophy that aligns perfectly with the culture at Gilligan Sheppard and one he is proud to be part of.

“You can always wipe the slate clean, just memorise it beforehand.”

Outside of work, he spends most of his time either staying active, cooking, or staying active to burn off the cooking. Cooking, especially for his loved ones, has been a recently discovered hobby of his since moving away from home, and now since coming back. He loves to experiment with new meals, flavours, and techniques, but cuisine wise has mainly stuck around either Italian or Japanese. His favourite dishes to make are tuna crudo, spicy seafood pasta, or ramen and he is open to any recommendations.

Staying active has always been a big part of his life. He grew up playing rugby and plenty of other sports, and now he spends a lot of time at the gym, out in nature for walks and runs, or in the sauna. He also tries to make as much time as he can for skiing. It’s one of his favourite hobbies, even though it will be a bit harder now that he’s moved away from the South Island. Being active is where he resets and takes his mind off things, whether he’s doing it with friends or enjoying the time on his own. It keeps him balanced and gives him space to think.

During both of those activities, he’s almost always listening to music. Love might be a strong word, but he can appreciate any form of music, and it’s been a big part of his life for as long as he can remember. It eventually pushed him to start DJing around five years ago. What started as a bit of fun has grown into something he’s genuinely passionate about. DJing has given him a creative outlet for something he holds close to his heart, music. It has unknowingly taught him a lot about consistency, patience, and reading people, as well as the importance of all the behind-the-scenes work that makes the result feel easy. He finds those lessons carry through to how he approaches multiple areas of his life.