Personal File · Official Use · Cross-Reference: Operation Barbarossa Dissertation, 2026
Louis Lardner
L. LARDNERPhotograph on file
Declassified Personnel File
Ref: LL / ██████ / Filed 2026

Louis Lardner

First-Class History graduate from the University of Exeter in the summer of 2026, and Graduate Trainee at Sigma Broking, London.

Get in touch Download CV LinkedIn
Declassified

About

Confirmed
SUBJECT: L. LARDNER
STATUS: FILE ACTIVE

I'm a First-Class History graduate from the University of Exeter, and now work as a Graduate Trainee at Sigma Broking on Old Broad Street, in the heart of the City of London — one of the world's great financial centres. Finance is where my career is now firmly focused, but I'll always come back to my love of history, particularly the history of British intelligence, which drove my dissertation and inspired the personnel-file design of this site.

My dissertation examined how British and American intelligence tracked Heinz Guderian's Panzer divisions between June and December 1941, cross-checking both countries' assessments against captured Wehrmacht records to establish which was more accurate. The British assessment proved considerably closer to the truth, largely due to the access Ultra provided — a finding with clear implications for how that intelligence went on to shape Allied strategy in the East.

Awarded 74%, and used by my supervisor as a model answer for future cohorts. Research included a week at the National Archives, Kew, in April 2026, examining original 1940s documents in person — several signed by Stewart Menzies and Winston Churchill.
View Dissertation

I spent the summer of 2025 as an Operations Intern at Sigma Broking, monitoring live trades across the CME and ICE exchanges — the experience that led directly to my current graduate role there. I also have a longstanding personal interest in financial literacy: I invest into a diversified global portfolio every month, have managed a family member's savings account for the past three years, growing it by over 20%, and would like to build a financial literacy programme for young people later in my career.

Financial Analysis Excel & VBA Macros Trade Processing & Compliance Portfolio & Investment Mgmt Stakeholder Communication Event & Campaign Coordination Team Leadership & Coaching Historical Research & Analysis Public Speaking Financial Literacy Advocacy

Experience

Active
FILE: LL / EXP
SORTED BY DATE
Sep 2026 –
Present

Graduate Trainee

Sigma Broking Limited · London, UK

  • Joined the operations team full-time in September 2026, following a Summer 2025 internship and a return offer.
Sep 2024 –
Jun 2026

Student Manager & Committee Member

Exeter University Association Football Club · Exeter, UK

  • Managed the club's 6th team through the 2024/25 season to a top-half league finish and runners-up in the Devon County Cup final; recognised by the club's director of football with an offer to step up to a higher team.
  • Managed the club's 5th team through 2025/26 to 2nd place in the BUCS Western Division and a regional BUCS Cup semi-final, alongside a 5th-place finish in the Devon & Exeter Football League.
Jun 2025 –
Jun 2026

Football Coach

Exeter City Community Trust · Exeter, UK

  • Delivered weekly coaching sessions for young people from underprivileged backgrounds, building skills, confidence and structured physical activity.
  • Planned and adapted drills across a range of abilities so every participant could progress.
Jun 2025 –
Aug 2025

Operations Intern

Sigma Broking Limited · London, UK

  • Monitored CME and ICE exchanges in real time, recording trades and market activity in Excel.
  • Designed and implemented an Excel macro to automate brokerage rate calculations, improving accuracy and efficiency for the operations team.
  • Processed and cleared trade tickets via TEO to compliance standards; shadowed senior brokers across LME, LPG and interest rate markets.
Aug 2024 –
Present

Founder

Catering Business · on-set for film & advertising crews

  • Founded and run a catering service for film crews, filling a gap for affordable, high-quality, healthy on-set meals.
  • Handle menu planning, cooking, pricing and service; built a pricing strategy that undercuts larger caterers while holding food quality — over 10 bookings and counting.
  • Averaging a 77% profit margin across the last five bookings.
Jun 2023 –
Present

Kitchen Assistant

DAY by ALAN · South-East London & Sevenoaks

  • Support culinary teams in a high-calibre kitchen alongside Michelin-starred chef Alan Irwin.
  • Handle food preparation, kitchen hygiene and allergen management to a refined, high-standard service.
2021 –
2024

Kitchen Porter

Leiths School of Food & Wine · South-East London

  • Kept kitchen operations organised alongside chefs and staff, maintaining cleanliness and hygiene standards and assisting with basic food prep.
FA Level 1 Coaching Intro to Grassroots Football Player Welfare First Aid Food Hygiene Standards Child Protection in Education The Prevent Duty DBS Checked

Education

Verified
FILE: LL / EDU
TRANSCRIPT EXTRACT
BA History, University of Exeter Sep 2023 – Jun 2026
Graduated with First-Class Honours
  • Year 3 (First Class) — dissertation research on British and American intelligence assessments of Heinz Guderian's Panzer divisions during Operation Barbarossa. Also delivered a high-scoring 30-minute presentation to a panel of academics on the Cambridge Five spy ring, arguing they were able to operate through a class-based blindness within the establishment — what I called the "paradox of stability," where an institution that outwardly projected safety was, in fact, being betrayed from within.
  • Year 2 (First Class) — led a group research project on the historical memory of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, awarded a special commendation for academic excellence; wrote a 6,000-word independent essay on the strategic planning of Operation Overlord; scored 82% on an interdisciplinary business module for a competitive sales pitch developed and marketed to a panel of assessors.
  • Year 1 (First Class) — foundational learning on the history of globalisation, the Indian Rebellion, and the development of history as an academic field, building critical analysis and historical methodology.
Eltham College, Mottingham Sep 2016 – Jul 2023
A consistently strong academic record across GCSEs and A-Levels
Sixth Form — A-Levels: Geography A*, History A*, Drama A*

Scored a First on the Historical Aptitude Test (HAT) run by the University of Oxford, and was awarded an academic scholarship for the duration of sixth form on the strength of my GCSE results. Captained the school's 1st XI football team, served as Senior Prefect and Deputy House Captain, and was elected Student Charity Secretary. Awarded full school colours for services to Drama, having performed live to audiences of thousands across my time at school — including as Seymour, the lead role in Alan Menken's Little Shop of Horrors, the senior school musical in Year 13.

Secondary School — GCSEs: English Literature 9, Geography 9, English Language 9, Religious Studies 8, Physics 9, Biology 9, Mathematics 9, History 9, Drama 9, Chemistry 9

Played 2nd team Hockey, Rugby and Cricket, and competed nationally as part of the school's athletics team.

Fundraising & Charity

Audited
FILE: LL / CHY
LEDGER

Fundraising Manager & Student Ambassador — Movember

Aug 2024 – Jun 2025 · University of Exeter. Organised and promoted campus events for men's mental and physical health, including the flagship "Move for Mo" event, and ran the campaign's Instagram to a reach of 42,000 people in and around Exeter.

  • Personally raised funds by running 100km across the month, plus a sponsored sub-2-hour half marathon.
  • Hosted university-wide 6-a-side football tournaments and organised sponsored pub quizzes.
  • Coordinated across Exeter's sports societies to ensure every day of the campaign had a fundraising event running.
 £120,000+raised university-wide
2nd-highest of any UK uni

Welfare Secretary — Exeter University AFC Committee

Sep 2024 – Jun 2025. Voted in by an overwhelming majority to support clubmen with on- and off-pitch issues.

 £18,000raised as a club
2nd-highest society at Exeter

Charity Secretary — School Council, Eltham College

Voted in by the sixth-form cohort, I launched and led "24K by 2024" for the British Heart Foundation, securing sponsorship from Domino's and engaging the whole school — over 1,000 pupils — across the campaign. Its flagship event, a 24-hour football match involving 500 participants, kept play running continuously for the full 24 hours and raised £18,000 on its own.

 £24,000raised for BHF overall
incl. £18,000 from the 24-hour match

Travel & Hobbies

Personal
FILE: LL / OFF-DUTY

Outside of work, most of my time goes to football, fitness and cooking.

⚽ Football

Playing and coaching since school — usually the one organising the team as much as playing on it.

  • Captained Petts Wood FC's 1st XI (U13s–U18s), winning the Kent Cup in 2018.
  • Captained Eltham College's first-ever football team (2021–23), a milestone for a previously rugby-only school.
  • Won the Geary Cup with Exeter University in 2024 — Man of the Match, as voted by Devon County FA staff.
  • Title-winning squad member with Ravensbury FC, Orpington & Bromley League champions, 2025/26 — played during university holidays back home in London.

🍳 Cooking & Food

Cooking has been a constant since school — kitchen jobs through sixth form and university, and now a catering business of my own. I'm just as happy on the other side of the pass: a keen food tourist, always looking for a new restaurant or dish to try. One day, a passion project of mine would be opening a local sandwich shop, built on fresh produce and high-quality ingredients.

🏋️ Nutrition & Training

Train four times a week in the gym and run twice a week, and have put together food and training plans for friends and family working toward their own strength or weight-loss goals. Aiming to run the 2027 London Marathon for the charity Shaftesbury.

💷 Personal Finance

Invest into a diversified global portfolio every month, aiming to build long-term wealth. I've also managed a family member's savings account for three years, growing it by over 20%, and would like to build a financial literacy programme for young people later in my career.

Most Recent Travel Route Log
Boston · Maine · New York · Philadelphia · Washington D.C. · Toronto · Montreal — Jun–Jul 2026
15 Jun
London Heathrow → Boston, MA
15–16 Jun
Boston, Massachusetts
16–19 Jun
Bar Harbor, Maine
19–21 Jun
Lincolnville, Maine
21–22 Jun
Brunswick, Maine
22–24 Jun
Boston, Massachusetts
24–26 Jun
Brooklyn, New York
28–30 Jun
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
30 Jun–3 Jul
Washington, D.C.
3 Jul
Washington Dulles → Toronto
3–6 Jul
Toronto, Ontario
6–9 Jul
Montreal, Quebec
9 Jul
Montreal Trudeau → London Heathrow