Work hard, be curious and meet people. Twelve years after graduating from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) and launching a successful international finance career, Andrew Code offers that straightforward advice to today’s graduating students.
“KPU is a great first step but you need to build on it,” he says. “If you work harder than graduates from other schools and you are more driven, people will notice, and with a bit of luck, you’ll find someone who will take a chance on you. Once you find that person you need to be sure to take advantage of that opportunity and don’t disappoint.”
Code, a 2014 Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting KPU grad, is winner of the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes a lifetime of achievement. Presented during convocation ceremonies June 9, Code says the award means a lot to him.
“KPU was the one school that gave me a chance. What I am really hopeful for is that this award can be used to illustrate to KPU students that there is more to this world than staying in your hometown,” says Code, a Langley, B.C. native who now lives in London, England. “If you work hard enough, and get some lucky breaks, you can really go anywhere.”
Code is a Director within the Strategic Capital Markets team at PJT Partners, a global advisory-focused investment bank with key offices in New York and London and satellite offices globally, where he advises companies and shareholders on all things related to capital structures and financings.
When he enrolled at KPU, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to achieve, although small class sizes, practical coursework and supportive faculty helped him find traction for the first time in his academic life. A turning point came in a finance class taught by instructor Dr. Robert Ironside, who challenged Code to think big.
“He introduced the idea that if you work hard, you can live anywhere and do anything in finance. It was the kick in the butt I needed. Without Robert, I don’t know if I would’ve pushed myself to see what was out there.”
Other instructors also reinforced the practical and hands-on approach at KPU. Another catalyst was the accounting program’s co-operative education option, which allows students to apply the skills gained during academic study in paid, practical work experience semesters.
“At a bigger school, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of students,” he says. “At KPU, I could walk into an instructor’s office for help. That one-on-one support kept me engaged. In a smaller pond, you have more opportunity to stand out.”
That small-pond effect prepared him for the leap into global waters. But KPU didn’t have the same direct recruiting pipelines into major investment banks that Ivy League or U.K. schools offer. Code’s ambitions required something extra — persistence, hustle and thick skin.
After graduating from KPU, Code landed a job at PwC, and from there, CIBC’s mid-market leveraged finance team. Although CIBC was one of the best learning experiences of his career, for Code, this was a stepping stone. Most mornings, he’d wake up and call investment banks in New York and London, trying to convince someone to take a meeting.
“I was literally just cold-calling people before work,” he says. “Most of the time, no one wanted to talk. But eventually, I found someone who picked up.”
That someone was at Houlihan Lokey, a global investment bank with a strong financial restructuring group. Code was invited to interview at their Los Angeles office. Instead, he took a gamble and chased the dream, paying his own way to London in hopes he could interview there.
“I figured I’d just take a punt,” he says. “So, I flew overnight, walked into their London office on a Monday morning, and spent the day interviewing. That’s how I got in.”
Houlihan Lokey became Code’s first real foothold in international finance. He later joined PJT in London, where he first worked in restructuring and now advises clients on everything from acquisitions and take-over financings, to leveraged buy-outs and dividend recapitalizations.
Code says few other careers match finance in offering strong advancement opportunities, global mobility and intellectual challenge. But he also says none of that matters unless the journey is fulfilling.
“I try to tell people to make sure you enjoy the achievements as they happen. It’s easy to be so busy that you don’t recognize how substantial they are.”
