19: Building a Career in Finance Across Three Languages – Urmi Hossain

Urmi Hossain grew up in Italy and lives in Montreal, Canada. By embracing Quebec French (Quebecois) she was able to build a successful career in finance.
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Urmi Hossain on the Working With Languages podcast
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Today I sit down with Urmi Hossain who grew up in Italy to Bengali parents, studied in England for a year, moved to Montreal at 19, and now works in finance entirely in French.

In this episode Urmi shares how she went from dreaming of becoming a tourist guide in Italy to falling in love with finance in Canada. We talk about the very practical challenge of arriving in Montreal knowing French from school, only to discover that Quebecois is really quite different.

She explains how she deliberately worked to master it, not just for everyday life but to be able to do a job interview and eventually work in a fully French-speaking environment. Because while people in Montreal are very open to both English and French in an everyday life environment, she knew early on that professionally she needed to be fluent in Quebecois.

Key Takeaways:

  • Moving abroad with an open mind: Urmi embraced learning Quebecois and a different way to grow professionally, with lifelong learning, continuous professional development (CPD) and job hopping as a way to advance her career – a very different approach than in Italy.
  • Choosing a different career in a different country: while in Italy she pondered over becoming a tourist guide, at university in Canada she fell in love with finance from the beginning. Attending lectures and courses on different topics can open minds and lead to new and unexpected paths.
  • Reaching out for help and support: from engaging a friend to practice speaking French to finding mentors along the way, she is at ease asking for support from people.
  • Opening up conversations: with her podcast Stories Beyond Borders she share stories of people like her who grew up multilingual, multicultural and moved countries at various points in their lives. And in her YouTube channel she also gives advice on learning languages, passing finance exams and more.

About Urmi Hossain

Urmi Hossain is a self-published author, speaker, podcast host and finance professional based in Canada. She holds the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) designations and works in the financial services industry, while using her platform to advocate for women’s empowerment, identity, and self-leadership.

Her first book, Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle, reflects her journey as a third-culture woman navigating questions of belonging, culture and self-worth. Through her writing Urmi encourages honest conversations around identity, representation, and choosing yourself in a world that often asks women to shrink or conform.

Urmi is the host of Stories Beyond Borders, a podcast that amplifies diverse voices and stories on identity, migration, language, and what “home” truly means. Her work centers on helping individuals – especially women – embrace their lived experiences as strengths rather than limitations.

Passionate about leadership development and community building, Urmi serves as the Co-Chair of Women in Leadership’s Montreal Chapter. She is also a dedicated public speaker and has been an active Toastmasters member since 2019, having served as both Vice President of Education and Club President.

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About Sonia Kampshoff

Sonia is a translator turned multilingual digital marketer specialising in paid media, and now also a podcaster. Growing up bilingual, languages have been a constant in her life. In 2025 she launched a podcast where she explores the huge variety of jobs and career opportunities open to people with language skills. She is available to speak on podcasts and stages about marketing, languages, work and podcasting.

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