Minority in London and IB in general

OP - you may notice some things early on in your career. Like odd jokes or whatever that people will get away with that they never would in public. That's kind of sad/annoying but par for the course in finance. It is as you move up that you may really get to notice stuff.

It is tougher to get promoted. Sometimes you just won't be included in discussions or social activities because you are not part of the group. It's not always openly malicious or anything. Like if a bunch of lads go to watch rugby and you haven't established that you love rugby and follow it and talk about it a lot, you may not be invited. The random white dude may be even though he's maybe mentioned rugby once or twice. When asked you may get the "I didn't know you liked rugby mate, my mistake! I thought you liked (insert activity/sport your minority group is known for).

Once again, not really overtly malicious, but it is at things like that where people build bonds, get to know each other outside of work and really build alliances. Guess what? If your work and the other guy's work is anywhere near similar, guess who is getting a promotion? Guess who is getting counsel on how to play politics or how to get paid or the inside track to better things? That's happening to the dude who the boss knows, trusts and likes and can hang with outside of work. Once again, you may not get fired or dinged, but you may not move up as fast either or see your career plateau.

Mind you this is not exclusive to finance but the workplace in general. Usually the boss is not a minority (and there are lots of reasons for that and that's beyond the scope of my post).

In other words, like some have said to be the change you desire (and that carries a fair bit of validity). Remember though, that by sticking out, that you can also become a target for said politicians and easy pickings and will need a lot of boss support. At the same time you are at a SELL SIDE job in which not only is the competition tough externally (other banks), but also internally (politics). The number of people in this industry is literally shrinking every day. This means, yeah, you will probably have to "white-wash" or change some ways about how you act or behave. Because in the end as someone more senior, most places, especially in this industry, are going to want people like them that they feel they can trust (rather than someone actually innovative or creative) and can put in front of their clients to, I dunno, SELL stuff for the bank and generate revenue.

TLDR: Make friends with your boss/team, try to find common interests to be a part of the group and liked. Work hard and let it be known that you are doing so. Build relationships. This may require whitewashing. If you want to be unique, do it. But it will carry a fair bit of risks so keep your expectations modest.

Good Luck