After leaving university Covington held various positions: including government service, offshore oil contracting and commercial and investment banking; then in 1986, he joined UK investment bank SG Warburg as a director.
After leaving university he held various positions: including government service, offshore oil contracting and commercial and investment banking. In 1986 he joined UK investment bank SG Warburg (the investment banking predecessor of UBS), where he became a director. 
