Career Profiles

In the last 12 years, I have been working in Talent Management – more specifically in Learning & Development – for a management consultancy, for Diageo, and then for Northern Trust.

Given that I have been keen to further expand my career within Talent Management for some time, I was delighted that I was given the opportunity to work in a new team called Organizational Effectiveness & Design a year ago. In this role, we partner with HR to identify areas to make NT a more effective organization, from a global perspective.

Our team is new (one could consider it a start-up) and one of my key contributions last year focused on developing the team’s maturity by developing governance, approaches, tools and frameworks, reflecting best practices in Organizational Effectiveness & Design. As the scope of my role is global, the tools and frameworks we create can be applied in all regions.

I also focus on specific business projects. For example, given NT has recently acquired the fund administration business of UBS Luxembourg and Basel, I worked for the HR Consulting function to develop a strategy and project plan to help integrate our new partners into NT culture. We are currently executing on this plan.

Every day is different, and that’s what I like. One of my core values is variety, and I feel that is aligned with my role. There is always a start and a clear end with anything I work on - once a project or a piece of work is completed, I look forward to starting the next, which I know will be different again.

Variety is not only reflected in the work I do, but also in the people I work with. Given my role is global, I work closely with my colleagues in Asia and North America. I appreciate difference and diversity. Diversity is also a key focus for NT on a corporate level.

Continuing to build our team, and working on high impact, corporate wide projects.

To keep immersing myself into the new world of Organizational Effectiveness.

After I graduated, I started working for a global management consultancy in Munich. This role was part of Learning & Development Operations and I ensured smooth delivery of our global leadership programmes. Those programmes were rather comprehensive, lasting for one to two weeks, and taking place in various countries across the globe. Given the amount of travel and the exposure I got, it was an exciting first role.

After some time, I realised that I was particularly interested in shaping the content, and in facilitating learning programmes. So I pursued a new opportunity, within the same company, but in its London office. This role allowed me to focus on content development and programme facilitation. After some time, I was promoted to another role focusing on performance management.

Keen to further expand on my experiences, I decided to leave the company to take on a role in Ireland with Diageo, a global drinks supplier. Diageo was closing three of their production sites, and I was hired to prepare employees for their future careers beyond Diageo. This was a challenging, yet a rewarding experience.

Since 2015, I have been working with Northern Trust, where, as mentioned above, I spent my first three years in Learning & Development, before moving into a role in Organizational Effectiveness & Design.

I have recently volunteered for Junior Achievement – a charity aimed at ‘inspiring and motivating young people to realise their potential by valuing education and understanding how to succeed in the world of work’. I delivered a business-related curriculum over a 5-week period to a group of 10-year-old students, once per week. I thought it was very rewarding to see all the children so engaged in the topic, and hopefully motivating them to do well in life. Their wit and fresh ideas were impressive.

Here in NT, Diversity & Inclusion is a significant topic, both locally and corporate wide. There are a number of ‘Business Resource Councils’ in Ireland, one of which, the D&I Multi-Cultural Business Resource Council, I am a member of.

Since I have returned from maternity leave, I have reduced my hours to 80%. This gives me the opportunity to still pursue my career, whilst being able to spend an extra day with my son. I very much value NT being flexible in this regard.

Furthermore, I work from home two days per week. From a personality perspective, this arrangement works well for me. I tend to focus on thinking/project work on my working from home days, and among others, ensure to schedule enough time for in person meetings and connecting with colleagues during my office days.

Ever-changing, evolving, fulfilling.

Go back to university to study, most likely a PhD in a related field or an MBA.

I’m 44 yrs of age and started in this industry when I was 23. I’m Irish and from Dublin and have a business degree from the University of West Glamorgan in Wales. I currently hold two roles at State Street: Global Client COO for one of our largest EMEA-based clients and Head of Innovation for EMEA.

I have two distinct and separate roles at the moment:

• Global Client COO: I’m responsible for the overall service delivery, governance and future operational strategies for a global client across all business lines.

• Head of Innovation EMEA: This is about creating a sustainable innovation agenda for the business and our clients by exploring new and innovative technologies to solve business challenges or create new business models.

I have been in the funds admin/custody business for 21 years. Most of my career has been with State Street and I spent 4 years with HSBC. I’ve had a lot of different experiences in those 21 years spanning most of the core operational areas, including accounting, custody, TA, new business take-on department, Client Relationship Management, Project management, Product Development, General Management, Head of Operations and the position of CEO.

I really enjoy the variety of my work, meeting new people and the ability to influence and create change. I always need to be moving forward in my career.

The set-up of our offshore operational hub in Poland. I was the general manager and head of operation there for about 3 years, so starting with a few folks to about 800 when I left in 2010.

More recently was the completion of Ireland’s FinTech Strategy Paper, an industry effort which I led. This was a cross sector effort including the entire financial services and government agencies. The paper was used as part of Ireland’s strategy for FinTech.

To maturing and expanding our innovation agenda.

I’m excited to see how the innovation role plays out; it’s completely new to the business. There are no tried and tested routes - you’re dealing with new technologies and new ideas. It’s not your usual stuff and requires a lot of self-belief and motivation to keep it driving forward.

When I started in 1997 I had no idea of what I was getting into. I knew I was interested in the stock market and a job in the fund industry came up, and that’s how I began. No special thought went into it at that stage!

I started out in the early days in an operational area - Accounting & Custody. I moved through a number of different roles and functions during my time at the bank. I put a lot of myself into every role and I think every 2-3 years is when I needed to make a change and move on.

I came to a point when I was 34 where I decided to take 8 months off and travel the world with my wife. It was the best career decision I’ve ever made! I came back invigorated and took up a role to set up the operations in Poland which meant I had to move there with my wife. It was a great experience and it gave me a huge amount of autonomy and really allowed me to make a mark on this new venture. After this I felt I needed something bigger and left the bank and took up employment as Head of Operations for another bank. This was a great experience also, with lots of change and big challenges. Looking for a complete change and challenge, I returned to State Street to take up a Head of Innovation role. It was a new area - unproved, untested and in a lot of respects, virgin territory. This is what I enjoy the most.

Be the best you can at what you do and opportunities will find you!

It’s a very dynamic global industry, where the skill-set you build is universal and transferable, plus you get to travel and meet lots of interesting folks.

I would say there are two schools of thought here. The first is that he industry has a track record of reacting quickly to change, where change is being imposed or it’s just a matter of having to do something (e.g. regulation and market changes). On the other hand, with the advent of FinTech we need to be better positioned to take advantage of the new and emerging technologies. This means having to think differently and collaborate differently. Some of the technologies require greater market collaboration to really optimise their benefits such as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for instance. We are learning to do this but we need to keep pushing this agenda.

FinTech is a very topical item at the moment, with new and emerging technologies looking to provide new opportunities to create value.

With integrity and trust. This sounds cliché but that’s the reality. Our clients want to be able to trust that we’ll do as we say. This can of course be challenging within large functionalised and globally disbursed organisations.

Interesting, Challenging, Rewarding

An engineer – designing and building stuff!

I have 20+ years of Financial Services industry experience and spent the first 10 years in roles in Dublin and Luxembourg. I joined BNY Mellon (AIB/BNY as it was at the time) when we opened our Cork office in 2006 and have held various roles here during this time, predominantly in Fund Accounting Services.

I am responsible for Global CSD Fund Accounting services for a key franchise client with a team in Cork, Ireland and overseas. I also co-head BNY Mellon’s Cork site which is an interesting and diverse role.

The people – I have a great team and fantastic colleagues who are committed and passionate about what they do. I also love learning which is an opportunity I am afforded every day – the industry is fast paced and there is always something new on the horizon.

My two children – healthy and (almost always) happy! In work, my greatest achievement is really where I am today. I have worked hard to progress my career and have grasped all opportunities along the way

We have some complex, fast-paced projects on the go and I am looking forward to seeing them through to a successful conclusion.

Professionally my role continues to evolve and I’m looking forward to getting involved in new learning and career opportunities.

Actively seek out new opportunities. Every project or initiative you involve yourself in can aid your own development and career progression.

Don’t be put off by the ‘finance’ aspect - it is not all about numbers. Financial Services can offer you a varied and interesting career beyond managing shareholder deals or calculating a NAV.

Like other BNY Mellon offices, Cork has an active Community Partnership Committee. Each and every one of us who have been involved in volunteering and CP events have gained so much on a personal level. BNY Mellon very much encourages us to participate through company matching donations and paid volunteer time.

I do believe that the balance is yours to make and whilst it is often difficult to do so, you get back what you put in. My job is a busy one and my family is, too, so I find the little things really help – exercise before work; calendar and meal preparation on Sunday evenings, etc.

Varied, Evolving and a bit Crazy at times!

Maybe a teacher, although I’m not sure how good or patient I would be. My mum tried to encourage me down this road when I was younger.

My name is Karen Campbell and I currently work as a Vice President in the Change Management department within State Street Ireland.

I manage change projects for key State Street clients. This can range from launching new products within their fund range to managing technology builds.

I have worked in the funds industry for nearly 20 years in a number of roles – starting as a Fund Accountant and eventually managing the New Business Integration unit within State Street. I took 2 years out after having my children and came back to State Street in a Change Management role on a work from home basis in a bid to gain a better work life balance. I have been working in this way for over 2 years now and it has proved to be successful.

I enjoy the variety of projects – I am working with key State Street clients who are always at the forefront of new industry initiatives so I get to work on really interesting projects.

Last year I worked on the onboarding of a significant client in terms of the number of funds and breadth of the product range. The project involved teams from multiple locations and had a significant amount of senior focus. At times it was challenging but it was ultimately rewarding to see the project complete successfully.

Working with my manager and the Change team to continue to develop and improve our offering both internally and to our clients.

Become a better networker.

I started my career in Financial Services straight from college as a Fund Accountant. I was then promoted to Team Leader within the Fund Accounting department and enjoyed managing a team for a specific client for a number of years – overseeing net asset value (NAV) production, client service and monthly reporting. I then decided that I wanted to try something new and applied to work in the New Business Integration (NBI) unit – managing the onboarding of new clients to State Street Ireland. The role was varied – I was able to work across the various functional areas and get a good understanding of how they fit together. I eventually ended up managing the NBI team. The role was interesting – working with clients as they brought new products to market and I enjoyed managing my team and helping them to develop their own careers.

To always keep learning – the industry is constantly changing and it is important to keep up to date with new developments.

I would definitely encourage people to consider a career in financial services. There are a lot of opportunities. The roles on offer are diverse and the industry in Ireland is dynamic so it’s definitely an industry where you can develop in the long term.

I think I’ve achieved a really good work-life balance with the help of State Street. I have been able to move closer to my family which has provided a significant support for me to continue with my career. I get to drop my kids to school in the mornings and then start working in a job that is challenging and interesting. I relish the fact that I am able to do something that I enjoy – that uses the skills I have built up over the years. I travel to the Dublin office once or twice a month and I enjoy catching up for coffee with the people I am working with on a daily basis. The technology that allows me to work from home is fantastic – and in the most part it is not visible to the clients that I work with, where I am located to do my job. I have been able to take on relatively significant projects and execute these well while working from home. I work with people from many different State Street offices – so not being at a desk in Dublin has not impacted on my ability. My manager is very supportive of my working arrangement and I have never felt that I have been restricted in what I can do because I am a work-from-home employee.

Interesting, Challenging, Varied.

I did my degree in economics – so something like an Economic Researcher would also be an interesting role.

I studied Finance at Queen’s University Belfast, graduating with a first class honours. I gained as much experience as I could through internships across many areas of finance including Morgan Stanley, the Financial Times, and of course – Citco.

I had a 15 month industrial placement in the Citco Risk & Valuation team during my 3rd year of university. I enjoyed and learnt so much I was very keen to come back. My manager was excellent at keeping in contact and offered me the opportunity to return after graduation.

It’s a very comfortable and friendly working environment; flexible working hours, paid overtime, free drinks/breakfast, lounge area.

I love the encouragement and free reign to pursue projects that I believe will be of benefit to the team, such as; masterclasses, lunch & learns and R&D. I’ve a lot of control over what I want to learn, and this allows me to take responsibility for my own work and career development.

Never to just click buttons, always ask what is going on behind them. Dig into things you don’t understand and don’t be afraid to propose new solutions.

For the team I work in, a finance background serves as a great foundation to develop more quantitative skills. Bloomberg seminars are encouraged, CFA study is supported, and I’m constantly developing programming skills on a daily basis. Citco is great in that the direction of your personal development is very much up to you.

I have 10 years’ experience working in the financial services industry. I currently work as a Financial Accountant within the Structured Finance division of DMS in Ireland and I am based in our Cashel office. I am responsible for the management and delivery of services to our structured finance and aviation clients.

I enjoy that no two days are the same, the variety of our clients and the range of services we provide to them.

I am proud of the secondment I did in Tasmania, Australia while working with KPMG. Moving to a new country and culture was difficult but also liberating and something I would highly recommend anyone to do in their lifetime if they get the chance.

Initially in the Funds Industry I qualified as a chartered accountant and completed my training with KPMG Dublin in the financial services division, predominately in Funds. I have also spent 4 years working in the Finance department for the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund in the National Treasury Management Agency.

There are a variety of opportunities to further your career within financial services. There is also a vast range of different qualifications that can be completed while working in this area such as accounting, tax, financial advice, financial analyst, risk and compliance.

I am a member of the Sports and Social committee in DMS Governance, Cashel which was formed this year. As part of the social side we have held coffee mornings and bake sales to raise money for local charities. We have also organised well-being events such as yoga classes and well-being breakfasts for staff. We hope to expand these events throughout 2019.

I currently have a good work-life balance and this is promoted within our organisation. Living in Cashel means a short commute time to and from work.

I am a senior IT Business Analyst at Carne Group with 20+ years’ experience in the Funds industry. I joined Carne in February 2018 just as it was going through a major expansion phase. My role revolves around Carne Group’s FinTech company – Carne Digital Solutions – and the systems being developed to meet the needs of Carne and its clients.

The thing I enjoy most about my job is identifying the Opportunity in the Challenge. Whether designing new systems, collaborating with clients or working closely with fantastically talented colleagues, I feel privileged to be working in a fast-paced industry where each day brings new challenges and the only constant is change.

Aside from my greatest achievement - three happy and healthy children - I am extremely proud of the work I am currently doing for Carne’s FinTech company. The platform we designed and built, CORR, is enabling our clients to meet their goals in terms of Compliance, Oversight, Risk and Reporting.

I started working in the IFSC back in 1998, working with Deutsche International followed by periods in State Street, Pioneer Investments and Amundi before joining Carne Group in 2018. I have held a wide variety of technology-based roles during this time – from Software Engineer to Database Administrator and Development Manager to Senior Business Analyst. My career has evolved from coding software to analysing problems and designing user-friendly state-of-the-art solutions.

The financial services industry offers a huge variety of career opportunities that cater for all types of people. The key to being successful here is to research, locate and land the job that has the best fit for your skills and interests.

I would strongly recommend taking the Professional Certificate in International Investment Fund Services programme run by The Institute of Banking. This course greatly helped me join the dots in terms of what each of the different parties to a fund do and how they interact with each other. It provides a fantastic foundation for building a long-term career in the industry.

I have very been lucky in that all of the firms I have worked for have taken their Corporate Social Responsibility very seriously. Some of the charities I have been given an opportunity to support are Chernobyl Children International, Junior Achievement Ireland, Sunshine House, LauraLynn and Pieta House’s Darkness Into Light.

Work life balance for me is a skill in itself. It’s not always possible to get the perfect split between work and home so taking advantage of modern work practices like flexible working hours really help. While it’s important to be available, I find it’s equally important to be able to set boundaries and switch off in order to recharge the batteries for the next day at work. Carne’s dynamic work environment allows me to have the best of both worlds.

I am a senior IT Business Analyst at Carne Group with 20+ years’ experience in the Funds industry. I joined Carne in February 2018 just as it was going through a major expansion phase. My role revolves around Carne Group’s FinTech company – Carne Digital Solutions – and the systems being developed to meet the needs of Carne and its clients.

The thing I enjoy most about my job is identifying the Opportunity in the Challenge. Whether designing new systems, collaborating with clients or working closely with fantastically talented colleagues, I feel privileged to be working in a fast-paced industry where each day brings new challenges and the only constant is change.

Aside from my greatest achievement - three happy and healthy children - I am extremely proud of the work I am currently doing for Carne’s FinTech company. The platform we designed and built, CORR, is enabling our clients to meet their goals in terms of Compliance, Oversight, Risk and Reporting.

I started working in the IFSC back in 1998, working with Deutsche International followed by periods in State Street, Pioneer Investments and Amundi before joining Carne Group in 2018. I have held a wide variety of technology-based roles during this time – from Software Engineer to Database Administrator and Development Manager to Senior Business Analyst. My career has evolved from coding software to analysing problems and designing user-friendly state-of-the-art solutions.

The financial services industry offers a huge variety of career opportunities that cater for all types of people. The key to being successful here is to research, locate and land the job that has the best fit for your skills and interests.

I would strongly recommend taking the Professional Certificate in International Investment Fund Services programme run by The Institute of Banking. This course greatly helped me join the dots in terms of what each of the different parties to a fund do and how they interact with each other. It provides a fantastic foundation for building a long-term career in the industry.

I have very been lucky in that all of the firms I have worked for have taken their Corporate Social Responsibility very seriously. Some of the charities I have been given an opportunity to support are Chernobyl Children International, Junior Achievement Ireland, Sunshine House, LauraLynn and Pieta House’s Darkness Into Light.

Work life balance for me is a skill in itself. It’s not always possible to get the perfect split between work and home so taking advantage of modern work practices like flexible working hours really help. While it’s important to be available, I find it’s equally important to be able to set boundaries and switch off in order to recharge the batteries for the next day at work. Carne’s dynamic work environment allows me to have the best of both worlds.

SMT Fund Services have provided me with opportunities I never dreamed possible when I started out in the funds industry. I have been incredibly lucky. I have been with the company for over 10 years and in that time I have worked in a number of different departments which I have really enjoyed. I started out as a junior in the pricing/trades department, worked my way up over the years and eventually became a supervisor in Net asset value (NAV) with an extraordinary opportunity to move to Japan to open a finance department in our Tokyo Head Office.

Due to the experience I gained both from my time in Japan and working in different departments through the years, once back from Tokyo I was offered a Business Analyst position to help develop our operations systems which is an area I had never considered working in. I found myself working very closely with operations managers from all levels and IT developers on coding trying to streamline the new systems and I even surprised myself with how much I enjoyed seeing the industry from a technical side. Before that my IT problem solving skills amounted to switch the computer off and on again.

Supervising day-to-day operations in order to produce NAVs for our clients in a timely manner.

Working with my amazing team, it’s the number one reason I look forward to work most days. I enjoy the challenges that the industry throws up too - the funds industry is always changing and strategies that were once popular become obsolete and new financial products pop up all the time so you have to keep up. It can be very interesting.

Being chosen to open the office in Japan will always be the highlight of my career. When I left college I wasn't sure if funds was the right place for me, but one day as I made my daily commute through Tokyo on the way to work I remember thinking, ‘you made the right choice’.

Not knowing what's next or where your path will take you. This industry is international, and finance is the same no matter where you go. Who knows where it will take me next.

To keep developing my career as much as possible. I'm always open to new opportunities and this industry has tons of it.

I originally wanted to be a history teacher but this career kind of found me instead. I started out thinking I'll just see how it goes for a while and then 10 years later I feel I'm still going strong. From day one I could tell that this was the path that would help me progress the best. I still love history but I've never doubted that I made the right choice.

To be open-minded, flexible, willing to learn and I believe most importantly to be a team player. If you have those qualities there is very little you can’t achieve in this industry.

This won't resonate with everyone but I know from experience that some people can be intimidated by a career in finance and I would like to tell those people that they shouldn't be. There are some that believe you need to be a shark or a maths wizard to excel and that is not the case at all. If you have good communication skills, if you can work well in a team, if you like a challenge then I promise you can do really well in this industry.

Fun, exciting, challenging.

A travel writer.

I studied Finance at Queen’s University Belfast, graduating with a first class honours. I gained as much experience as I could through internships across many areas of finance including Morgan Stanley, the Financial Times, and of course – Citco.

I had a 15 month industrial placement in the Citco Risk & Valuation team during my 3rd year of university. I enjoyed and learnt so much I was very keen to come back. My manager was excellent at keeping in contact and offered me the opportunity to return after graduation.

It’s a very comfortable and friendly working environment; flexible working hours, paid overtime, free drinks/breakfast, lounge area.

I love the encouragement and free reign to pursue projects that I believe will be of benefit to the team, such as; masterclasses, lunch & learns and R&D. I’ve a lot of control over what I want to learn, and this allows me to take responsibility for my own work and career development.

Never to just click buttons, always ask what is going on behind them. Dig into things you don’t understand and don’t be afraid to propose new solutions.

For the team I work in, a finance background serves as a great foundation to develop more quantitative skills. Bloomberg seminars are encouraged, CFA study is supported, and I’m constantly developing programming skills on a daily basis. Citco is great in that the direction of your personal development is very much up to you.

I have 20+ years of Financial Services industry experience and spent the first 10 years in roles in Dublin and Luxembourg. I joined BNY Mellon (AIB/BNY as it was at the time) when we opened our Cork office in 2006 and have held various roles here during this time, predominantly in Fund Accounting Services.

I am responsible for Global CSD Fund Accounting services for a key franchise client with a team in Cork, Ireland and overseas. I also co-head BNY Mellon’s Cork site which is an interesting and diverse role.

The people – I have a great team and fantastic colleagues who are committed and passionate about what they do. I also love learning which is an opportunity I am afforded every day – the industry is fast paced and there is always something new on the horizon.

My two children – healthy and (almost always) happy! In work, my greatest achievement is really where I am today. I have worked hard to progress my career and have grasped all opportunities along the way

We have some complex, fast-paced projects on the go and I am looking forward to seeing them through to a successful conclusion.

Professionally my role continues to evolve and I’m looking forward to getting involved in new learning and career opportunities.

Actively seek out new opportunities. Every project or initiative you involve yourself in can aid your own development and career progression.

Don’t be put off by the ‘finance’ aspect - it is not all about numbers. Financial Services can offer you a varied and interesting career beyond managing shareholder deals or calculating a NAV.

Like other BNY Mellon offices, Cork has an active Community Partnership Committee. Each and every one of us who have been involved in volunteering and CP events have gained so much on a personal level. BNY Mellon very much encourages us to participate through company matching donations and paid volunteer time.

I do believe that the balance is yours to make and whilst it is often difficult to do so, you get back what you put in. My job is a busy one and my family is, too, so I find the little things really help – exercise before work; calendar and meal preparation on Sunday evenings, etc.

Varied, Evolving and a bit Crazy at times!

Maybe a teacher, although I’m not sure how good or patient I would be. My mum tried to encourage me down this road when I was younger.

I am a Senior Manager for Financial Reporting within the Investor & Treasury Services Division of Royal Bank of Canada. The role has a number of aspects but primarily my team are responsible for delivering financial reporting to our fund clients. This encompasses audit management, financial statements preparation and review; and more recently the delivery of regulatory reporting.

I was always interested in finance. I graduated from Maynooth University with a B.A. (Joint Honours) in Economics and Finance. I started my career as a junior fund accountant with a fund administration company working my way up to account manager. During my tenure I started my Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) studies.

When I joined RBC as a supervisor, it was a rapid learning curve. The support I received from colleagues though was incredible. As my level of knowledge developed, I was promoted through the ranks with many opportunities to continue my development along the way. With an expanding team supporting a growing client base, resulting in increasing volumes and complex funds, our team continues to go from strength to strength.

During my time with RBC, I have experienced different financial statement systems, helped implement an outsourced model, and taken on new regulatory reporting. So it has been varied, challenging, exciting and rewarding.

The wide variety of tasks coupled with the interaction with a broad number of people. For example, I can be at an external board meeting, come back to review a set of financial statements, attend a potential client presentation, look after people management tasks and catch up on emails - all in the one day. No two days are the same although overall there is always our set objectives within the annual audit cycles to meet the reporting needs of our clients.

Five years ago, I went to Malaysia for a few months to set up a new financial reporting team. This was a huge undertaking as the team consisted of new employees who needed to be trained in the audit process in a short timeframe. The days were long but rewarding and I always made sure I started each with a swim in an outdoor pool. Given the average January temperature in Kuala Lumpur is 25 degrees Celsius, it was one of the perks of the trip.

I will be part of an internal Securities Financing Transactions Regulations (SFTR) project team which, although in its early stages, will result in learning new skills, increase my regulatory knowledge as well as broadening my RBC network of colleagues.

If you work hard, collaborate and always act with integrity you will be recognised for your commitment, and career progression opportunities will arise.

There have been so many changes in recent years – change is a constant! Regulation has been a key conduit which has helped further protect underlying investors. The implementation of regulatory standards, though, has taken a significant amount of resource over the past few years and as a result the funds industry is behind in the ongoing evolution of technology. While other industries have already seen significant advancements (especially in the retail space), our industry has been behind the curve. But we are an industry that works through collaboration and we’re already seeing examples of this collectiveness through active participation in industry forums, discussing how disruptor technology can help the industry evolve - e.g. how can Blockchain, robotics, AI, etc. help solve the challenges of tomorrow and improve the underlying client experience while maintaining strong compliance. The funds industry needs to keep sight of the next generation of investors and the expectations they will have in how they expect to interact with our industry.

Busy, challenging, rewarding

My name is Karen Campbell and I currently work as a Vice President in the Change Management department within State Street Ireland.

I manage change projects for key State Street clients. This can range from launching new products within their fund range to managing technology builds.

I have worked in the funds industry for nearly 20 years in a number of roles – starting as a Fund Accountant and eventually managing the New Business Integration unit within State Street. I took 2 years out after having my children and came back to State Street in a Change Management role on a work from home basis in a bid to gain a better work life balance. I have been working in this way for over 2 years now and it has proved to be successful.

I enjoy the variety of projects – I am working with key State Street clients who are always at the forefront of new industry initiatives so I get to work on really interesting projects.

Last year I worked on the onboarding of a significant client in terms of the number of funds and breadth of the product range. The project involved teams from multiple locations and had a significant amount of senior focus. At times it was challenging but it was ultimately rewarding to see the project complete successfully.

Working with my manager and the Change team to continue to develop and improve our offering both internally and to our clients.

Become a better networker.

I started my career in Financial Services straight from college as a Fund Accountant. I was then promoted to Team Leader within the Fund Accounting department and enjoyed managing a team for a specific client for a number of years – overseeing net asset value (NAV) production, client service and monthly reporting. I then decided that I wanted to try something new and applied to work in the New Business Integration (NBI) unit – managing the onboarding of new clients to State Street Ireland. The role was varied – I was able to work across the various functional areas and get a good understanding of how they fit together. I eventually ended up managing the NBI team. The role was interesting – working with clients as they brought new products to market and I enjoyed managing my team and helping them to develop their own careers.

To always keep learning – the industry is constantly changing and it is important to keep up to date with new developments.

I would definitely encourage people to consider a career in financial services. There are a lot of opportunities. The roles on offer are diverse and the industry in Ireland is dynamic so it’s definitely an industry where you can develop in the long term.

I think I’ve achieved a really good work-life balance with the help of State Street. I have been able to move closer to my family which has provided a significant support for me to continue with my career. I get to drop my kids to school in the mornings and then start working in a job that is challenging and interesting. I relish the fact that I am able to do something that I enjoy – that uses the skills I have built up over the years. I travel to the Dublin office once or twice a month and I enjoy catching up for coffee with the people I am working with on a daily basis. The technology that allows me to work from home is fantastic – and in the most part it is not visible to the clients that I work with, where I am located to do my job. I have been able to take on relatively significant projects and execute these well while working from home. I work with people from many different State Street offices – so not being at a desk in Dublin has not impacted on my ability. My manager is very supportive of my working arrangement and I have never felt that I have been restricted in what I can do because I am a work-from-home employee.

Interesting, Challenging, Varied.

I did my degree in economics – so something like an Economic Researcher would also be an interesting role.

I’m 44 yrs of age and started in this industry when I was 23. I’m Irish and from Dublin and have a business degree from the University of West Glamorgan in Wales. I currently hold two roles at State Street: Global Client COO for one of our largest EMEA-based clients and Head of Innovation for EMEA.

I have two distinct and separate roles at the moment:

• Global Client COO: I’m responsible for the overall service delivery, governance and future operational strategies for a global client across all business lines.

• Head of Innovation EMEA: This is about creating a sustainable innovation agenda for the business and our clients by exploring new and innovative technologies to solve business challenges or create new business models.

I have been in the funds admin/custody business for 21 years. Most of my career has been with State Street and I spent 4 years with HSBC. I’ve had a lot of different experiences in those 21 years spanning most of the core operational areas, including accounting, custody, TA, new business take-on department, Client Relationship Management, Project management, Product Development, General Management, Head of Operations and the position of CEO.

I really enjoy the variety of my work, meeting new people and the ability to influence and create change. I always need to be moving forward in my career.

The set-up of our offshore operational hub in Poland. I was the general manager and head of operation there for about 3 years, so starting with a few folks to about 800 when I left in 2010.

More recently was the completion of Ireland’s FinTech Strategy Paper, an industry effort which I led. This was a cross sector effort including the entire financial services and government agencies. The paper was used as part of Ireland’s strategy for FinTech.

To maturing and expanding our innovation agenda.

I’m excited to see how the innovation role plays out; it’s completely new to the business. There are no tried and tested routes - you’re dealing with new technologies and new ideas. It’s not your usual stuff and requires a lot of self-belief and motivation to keep it driving forward.

When I started in 1997 I had no idea of what I was getting into. I knew I was interested in the stock market and a job in the fund industry came up, and that’s how I began. No special thought went into it at that stage!

I started out in the early days in an operational area - Accounting & Custody. I moved through a number of different roles and functions during my time at the bank. I put a lot of myself into every role and I think every 2-3 years is when I needed to make a change and move on.

I came to a point when I was 34 where I decided to take 8 months off and travel the world with my wife. It was the best career decision I’ve ever made! I came back invigorated and took up a role to set up the operations in Poland which meant I had to move there with my wife. It was a great experience and it gave me a huge amount of autonomy and really allowed me to make a mark on this new venture. After this I felt I needed something bigger and left the bank and took up employment as Head of Operations for another bank. This was a great experience also, with lots of change and big challenges. Looking for a complete change and challenge, I returned to State Street to take up a Head of Innovation role. It was a new area - unproved, untested and in a lot of respects, virgin territory. This is what I enjoy the most.

Be the best you can at what you do and opportunities will find you!

It’s a very dynamic global industry, where the skill-set you build is universal and transferable, plus you get to travel and meet lots of interesting folks.

I would say there are two schools of thought here. The first is that he industry has a track record of reacting quickly to change, where change is being imposed or it’s just a matter of having to do something (e.g. regulation and market changes). On the other hand, with the advent of FinTech we need to be better positioned to take advantage of the new and emerging technologies. This means having to think differently and collaborate differently. Some of the technologies require greater market collaboration to really optimise their benefits such as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for instance. We are learning to do this but we need to keep pushing this agenda.

FinTech is a very topical item at the moment, with new and emerging technologies looking to provide new opportunities to create value.

With integrity and trust. This sounds cliché but that’s the reality. Our clients want to be able to trust that we’ll do as we say. This can of course be challenging within large functionalised and globally disbursed organisations.

Interesting, Challenging, Rewarding

An engineer – designing and building stuff!

I am ACA Qualified and have +20 years direct experience in the Funds Industry.

The main focus of my role is to ensure desired levels of service are delivered to clients in a consistent manner. I am the point of escalation for certain key clients. In addition I have Head of location responsibilities for BNP Paribas in Galway.

I joined BNP Paribas in June 2015 just as the acquisition of Credit Suisse’s Fund Services business had concluded. Initially I focused on rolling out BNP Paribas products services and applications to transitioned clients. Over time I assumed a Relationship Manager role for key clients. Recently I have assumed a Management oversight role within our Client Delivery teams.

My role is challenging and fast changing as technology, regulation, client demands, trading strategies and staff needs constantly evolve.

The expansion of our Galway office over the past 18 months which has enabled BNP Paribas to attract experienced Financial Services staff to the Galway region.

Achieving our objective of improving client service delivery through process automation.

Initially within the Funds Industry I worked on the audit side (PWC) and gained invaluable experience regarding controls testing and balance sheet validation. Since 2001 I have held Management, Client Relationship and Operational Oversight roles within various Fund Administration Companies (including 3 years offshore). Prior to joining BNP Paribas in 2015 I had worked at Citco Fund Services for 5 years and Deutsche Bank Fund Services for 6+ years.

Just as in life, honesty is always the best course of action when issues arise.

The Industry is vibrant, challenging and rewarding. There are many different roles available to people as their careers progress.

At BNP Paribas we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Over the last few years we have held a diversity and inclusion week in Ireland and across the globe and we have a committee dedicated to this in Ireland also. Last year our diversity and inclusion week included speakers from the 30% club and we also had a talk on mental health. This coming year we are celebrating international Women’s Day on 8th March by hosting an internal panel discussion with some of our female and male leaders discussing their careers, the challenges they have faced and offering career advice to employees who attend.

Clients continue to move away from in-house administration of Investment Funds and service providers have continued to consolidate with a drive to enhanced Technology as the key to longevity.

The key is to prioritize, keep calm and explore all choices available to seek optimal solutions.

In general, the staff in Galway experience shorter commute times meaning more time is available for involvement with family and interests outside work.

Interactive, rewarding and challenging.

Less travelled.

My name is Zhuriqa Jalil and I have been with Brown Brothers Harriman Fund Administration Ireland Limited for a little over 10 years.

Originally from Sarawak, Malaysia, I moved to Ireland in 2005 with the intention of completing a degree in accounting and finance. 13 years down the road, I am still in Ireland and I am now ACCA qualified and I recently completed a Professional Diploma in Applied Alternative Investments. With the financial support of the BBH scholarship programme as well as support from my direct manager, I was able to juggle study and being a working mother.

My career with BBH started in the Financial Reporting department, I transitioned over to the Client Service Group around 4 years ago and at the moment I am a Team Leader. Career mobility within BBH is not uncommon, definitely worth keeping in mind if you’re considering a career within the fund industry.

In my current role, I am very much client facing and I find it satisfying to be able to match clients’ needs with the services we offer. This means that I have to challenge myself by keeping up to date with regulations and industry developments.

The fund industry landscape is always changing with new regulations and evolving technology. I make sure I am prepared for these developments through the support and training I receive in-house and by keeping myself up to date with information from Irish Funds and other publications.

In short, I would say the learning never stops!

In BBH, it is not all about work. We have a number of networking groups (or BANC network as we call them) to support employees in their chosen activities or cause. In Dublin some of the groups include the Asia Link Network, Pride Network, Parenting Network and the Young Professional Network. We even have an in-house toastmasters club!

If I were not working at BBH I think I would bake and sell kek lapis, a layered cake very popular in Sarawak!

I studied History (BA) in Lithuania followed by BS in history with teacher certification and later a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in the USA. All programs were a great preparation to work in any industry.

Apart from writing my graduate paper on regulation in Hedge Funds, I did not have any experience in the funds industry.

Bringing the best services to our clients.

I worked in several Citco offices; I started in a trade processing team in Rye Brook, NY and Jersey City. I transferred from Jersey City to our Dublin office where I had an opportunity to work in the Enhanced Middle Office team. From there I moved into the Client Integration team in Dublin.

The ever-changing environment that challenges me every day!

Through an internal leadership development program I participated in within Citco we created an initiative known as the Innovation Hub. The aim of which is to share innovative ideas with the company that will ultimately lead to business improvements.

Participating in a Project Management training course and become PM certified!

To always be open to challenges and opportunities.

I’m an active member of the Citco CSR Ireland committee and the area I’m most involved in is the ‘Business in the Community’ mentoring program in Ireland. This rewarding program involves mentoring a 16 year-old school student; discussing their career ambitions and helping to impact their engagement with education.

I have 25 years experience working in financial services progressing through various roles in Ireland and internationally. I started working with BNY Mellon through a joint venture with AIB back in 2001 and joined BNY Mellon as Head of AIS Client Services - Hedge Funds in 2007 where I was responsible for $100 billion in assets under management.

I am the Global Head of Service Directors, for client experience. As champions for our clients, Service Directors have an opportunity every day to enhance the client experience—to promote consistent, effective engagement with clients and advocacy across the company.

The people and building relationships both with the extraordinarily talented people I work with and the fantastic clients we serve every day.

I am most proud of being a Mum to a lovely seven year old little boy, he is definitely my best achievement by far!

Professionally, I am very proud of the time I spent working in New York. It was a steep learning curve but it was a great experience and taught me a lot.

I am in the middle of a Masters in Business at the IMI (UCC) which will conclude at the end of 2018. It has been a three year process, and hugely impactful to me personally. I have learnt a lot and I am looking forward to finishing it!

At the moment, I am working on making a little more time for myself and getting the balance right on work, play and rest.

Be curious, don’t take it personally and remember you learn with every move. Linear moves in the funds industry really help you learn the business.

I am one of the founders of the 30% Club in Ireland, and currently lead the chapter for Ireland. The 30% Club Ireland formally launched in January 2015, is part of an International Organization – founded in the UK in 2010. Our aim is to develop a diverse pool of talent for all businesses through the efforts of our Chair and CEO members who are committed to better gender balance at all levels of their organisations.

Business leadership is key to our mission, taking the issue beyond a specialist diversity effort and into mainstream talent management. We believe that gender balance on boards not only encourages better leadership and governance, but diversity further contributes to better all-round board performance, and ultimately increased corporate performance for both companies and their shareholders. We now have almost 200 confirmed supporters in Ireland and our focus is on gaining visible and practical support for gender balance at all levels from business leaders in private, public, State, local and multinational organisations.

One of the 30% Club’s core beliefs is that women in management today are the pipeline for business leaders of the future. With this front of mind, we initiated research in 2015 to provide annual data as a baseline to assess ongoing improvement. In the research conducted for our recent ‘Women In Management: The Leadership Pipeline Report’ (2017) – which was conducted in partnership with Ibec and Dublin City University- we highlighted that the participation rates of women at all levels in the management hierarchy have increased since 2016, however there continues to be a drop in female representation at higher levels of management which shows that gender inequality remains a challenge. There also continues to be significant sectoral variation in female representation. This year the % of women holding CEO positions stands at 19%, a slight increase from 17% in 2016, and 14% in 2015.

The 30% Club launched as a campaign in the UK in 2010 with a goal of achieving a minimum of 30% women on FTSE-100 boards - currently the figure stand at 27.9% up from 12.5%. In the FTSE 33 companies have already reached 30%. Board level participation in Ireland is at 13%.

Exciting, challenging and partnership.

A rugby player!

In the last 12 years, I have been working in Talent Management – more specifically in Learning & Development – for a management consultancy, for Diageo, and then for Northern Trust.

Given that I have been keen to further expand my career within Talent Management for some time, I was delighted that I was given the opportunity to work in a new team called Organizational Effectiveness & Design a year ago. In this role, we partner with HR to identify areas to make NT a more effective organization, from a global perspective.

Our team is new (one could consider it a start-up) and one of my key contributions last year focused on developing the team’s maturity by developing governance, approaches, tools and frameworks, reflecting best practices in Organizational Effectiveness & Design. As the scope of my role is global, the tools and frameworks we create can be applied in all regions.

I also focus on specific business projects. For example, given NT has recently acquired the fund administration business of UBS Luxembourg and Basel, I worked for the HR Consulting function to develop a strategy and project plan to help integrate our new partners into NT culture. We are currently executing on this plan.

Every day is different, and that’s what I like. One of my core values is variety, and I feel that is aligned with my role. There is always a start and a clear end with anything I work on - once a project or a piece of work is completed, I look forward to starting the next, which I know will be different again.

Variety is not only reflected in the work I do, but also in the people I work with. Given my role is global, I work closely with my colleagues in Asia and North America. I appreciate difference and diversity. Diversity is also a key focus for NT on a corporate level.

Continuing to build our team, and working on high impact, corporate wide projects.

To keep immersing myself into the new world of Organizational Effectiveness.

After I graduated, I started working for a global management consultancy in Munich. This role was part of Learning & Development Operations and I ensured smooth delivery of our global leadership programmes. Those programmes were rather comprehensive, lasting for one to two weeks, and taking place in various countries across the globe. Given the amount of travel and the exposure I got, it was an exciting first role.

After some time, I realised that I was particularly interested in shaping the content, and in facilitating learning programmes. So I pursued a new opportunity, within the same company, but in its London office. This role allowed me to focus on content development and programme facilitation. After some time, I was promoted to another role focusing on performance management.

Keen to further expand on my experiences, I decided to leave the company to take on a role in Ireland with Diageo, a global drinks supplier. Diageo was closing three of their production sites, and I was hired to prepare employees for their future careers beyond Diageo. This was a challenging, yet a rewarding experience.

Since 2015, I have been working with Northern Trust, where, as mentioned above, I spent my first three years in Learning & Development, before moving into a role in Organizational Effectiveness & Design.

I have recently volunteered for Junior Achievement – a charity aimed at ‘inspiring and motivating young people to realise their potential by valuing education and understanding how to succeed in the world of work’. I delivered a business-related curriculum over a 5-week period to a group of 10-year-old students, once per week. I thought it was very rewarding to see all the children so engaged in the topic, and hopefully motivating them to do well in life. Their wit and fresh ideas were impressive.

Here in NT, Diversity & Inclusion is a significant topic, both locally and corporate wide. There are a number of ‘Business Resource Councils’ in Ireland, one of which, the D&I Multi-Cultural Business Resource Council, I am a member of.

Since I have returned from maternity leave, I have reduced my hours to 80%. This gives me the opportunity to still pursue my career, whilst being able to spend an extra day with my son. I very much value NT being flexible in this regard.

Furthermore, I work from home two days per week. From a personality perspective, this arrangement works well for me. I tend to focus on thinking/project work on my working from home days, and among others, ensure to schedule enough time for in person meetings and connecting with colleagues during my office days.

Ever-changing, evolving, fulfilling.

Go back to university to study, most likely a PhD in a related field or an MBA.

I joined PwC through the graduate intake in 2014. I was a recent graduate in History and Political Science at Trinity College Dublin, with no experience in Funds or finance generally. I joined the Asset and Wealth Management (AWM) Assurance practice at PwC, and completed my 3.5 year ACA contract there, before moving internally to the AWM Regulatory Advisory team.

As a non-business/finance graduate, I had a huge learning curve when I joined PwC. I enjoyed learning about the Funds industry generally – one of the most enjoyable parts of my job is the constant learning process. The Funds industry is a very changeable and evolving area, and it is often challenging to keep up with developments. I have had lots of opportunities since joining PwC to take training courses in specific Funds areas, participate in industry events and engage with trends and new developments in Funds.

I also enjoy the people aspect of my job. We work with a large variety of clients, and we have the chance to be involved in a lot of internal projects and work with a lot of people in different areas of the business both in Ireland and internationally. I’ve found that in both roles I have had in financial services, there is a huge amount of collaboration involved, and those relationships make the job much more enjoyable, even through busy and stressful times.

Since moving to my current role, I have been working across a lot of different projects. I have recently been working on a number of projects relating to ESG, and have really enjoyed having the opportunity to work in this area. ESG is becoming much more mainstream, and is a very interesting area to be involved in.

When I joined PwC in 2014, I was a recent graduate from university. Since joining PwC, I completed my training contract in Assurance (audit), from associate through to an Assistant Manager level. I have switched recently to a new role in a regulatory advisory team at PwC.

I would say that it is an area that is constantly changing, which means that there are a lot of opportunities for anyone who is considering it. I think before working in the sector, I had an idea that it was much more limited and narrowly-focused than it actually is. Particularly now, working in a consulting team, I can see the variety of roles and opportunities out there both in Ireland and internationally that I was not aware of before.

I started the graduate programme with no knowledge at all of the industry, and we had limited ability to choose which audit area we were initially assigned to. I probably would not have chosen the asset management department, as the Funds industry seemed daunting from an outsider perspective. The structured graduate training programme was thankfully designed with that in mind, although I wish I had paid more attention to finance/business news before starting in my first role in Financial Services (FS).

There are a lot of resources online for most areas of FS, but I think the best learning comes on the job, and through the people around you. In all areas and businesses that I have worked with, there have been really approachable and knowledgeable people and I have found that I have gained most of my knowledge from working with these people. For someone who had a similar lack of experience to myself, I would suggest that they reach out to someone who is in the industry and talk to them.

There are a lot of different groups internally that support and promote diversity and inclusion. Since I joined the firm 5 years ago, our workforce has become much more diverse, and we have a large number of international secondees working in our teams.

PwC Ireland staff are also encouraged to do international secondments to different offices in the network. We are given a lot of opportunities to join in all of these initiatives. I think that it is easy to lose focus on some of these issues during busy times, but they are very important in creating a good working culture. I have participated in some of these events, particularly around International Women’s Day.

Work-life balance is probably the biggest drawback in areas like audit. There is a busy season, which inevitably has an impact on work-life balance. My current role is more project based, so the balance is much better, and my hours are more balanced. I have probably also gotten better at managing my commitments, and learning my own limits. Certainly at PwC, and within the industry in general, there is a huge growth in the amount of technologies and automated solutions that are being used day-to-day, which should address some of these problems.

PwC also promotes a very flexible working culture, and that flexibility is definitely one reason that I enjoy working where I do. I work from home regularly, chose my own working hours (within reason!) and I have been able to take extended leave periods during the summer to travel, so there are definitely silver linings to the intensity of busy seasons!

I am a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA), ACCA, a Council Member of the Irish Taxation Institute and a Tax Partner in KPMG. I advise a wide range of domestic and international clients, including a number of private equity clients, in relation to investment structuring, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, aviation financing, banking, structured finance and investors on a broad spectrum of tax issues associated with fund structuring.

I am a member of the Policy & Technical Committee of the Irish Taxation Institute, which is responsible for liaising with the Department of Finance and the Irish Government on key provisions of Irish taxation legislation and practice.

I enjoy meeting new people and building strong working relationships with them and providing commercially feasible solutions to clients’ transactions.

I placed first in the world in the advanced taxation paper of the ACCA final examinations in 2003.

I progressed through the ranks in KPMG pretty quickly and I have always been given the autonomy to get out in the market place to profile both myself and the firm and to generate new business. A key focus of my role over the past number of years has been market focussed with international clients.

Financial Services is a key industry to the Irish economy with a huge focus on international transactions. Working in the sector gives one great exposure to both domestic and international structures, which is challenging but extremely interesting work at the same time.

Working with different time zones can be challenging at times but I am fortunate that I have a great team working with me which allows us to share the work load.

I am a Management Consulting Manager within Accenture’s Financial Services practice. I am a main point of contact within our International Financial Services (IFS) portfolio of clients with primary focus on the Funds & Asset Management industry.

Design and delivery of a target operating model for financial crime and AML functions for a pillar Irish Bank. This involves driving strategic solutions, process improvements and encouraging an agile way of working moving forward.

I have over 11 years’ international experience in the financial services industry in Sydney, Luxembourg, USA and Ireland. I have worked on multiple engagements across major investment and retail banks involving business solutions analysis, advisory, refinance analytics, risk analysis, process redesign, project management and transformational strategy. Prior to this, I was an account manager for a major fund administration software provider. I aided software development for a new Private Equity system and helped bring this software to market, with major clients based in Dublin, America and Canada. This role enabled me to leverage my experience as a fund accountant for hedge and private equity funds.

Disruptive technology and regulation changes are the major challenges within the funds industry.

Working alongside our clients to help accelerate their success and alleviate the challenges they are facing.

I take pride in all project deliveries for our clients however recently I successfully delivered an outbound campaign for a major bank which resulted in a significant reduction in the bank’s non performing exposures. This was a key regulatory obligation and strategic objective for the bank.

Rewarding, diverse, challenging

I’m originally from Bangalore, India and am currently working in the HFS Corporate Actions team, Ireland - Northern Trust. Prior to this I have worked with the Corporate Actions team in Saxo Bank, India for 1.5 years. Prior to Saxo Bank, I worked in the Northern Trust fund accounting corporate actions team for 6 years and Thomson Reuters for 2.5 years.

As my wife moved to Ireland I tried looking for opportunities here and got selected for a role in HFS Corporate Actions team.

It has been a great experience and dealing with the client on a day-to-day basis is a good learning experience. As I have already worked in Northern Trust Bangalore and a few partners already know me in the organisation, it has helped me to settle in easily.

Yes, the onshore activities and the client interactions is a different experience, challenging but a great learning curve for me.

As I have worked across different organisations, I have seen the accounting and the custody side of corporate actions which has been great and has helped me understand both sides of processing.

The top three are:

At Northern Trust Bangalore I worked on a market value check template to develop a control before we process any event to ensure we are within the tolerance.

At Saxo Bank I worked on the account migration from global custodian to local custody.

At Northern Trust Ireland I worked with internal teams to develop income accrual controls for coupon rate changes on clients due to the CPI factor change on UK Gilts.

I started my career at Thomson Reuters where our data was used as a feed provider for sourcing corporate Action information.

In Northern Trust Bangalore, there was a new team set up where the activities were transitioned and I worked with the onshore team closely to ensure all the activities were migrated smoothly. I was with the fund accounting support team working on dividends and corporate actions processing, across equities and bonds.

In Saxo Bank, I worked for the Corporate Actions team and as a broker my role was to work on the instructions, notification and entitlement processing for the clients. I have worked on the equities, bond income and CFD processing in Saxo Bank for Mandatory, Voluntary CA and the income transactions.

Financial Services has great scope and a lot of learning as it involves multiple functions and every department has their own knowledge base.

I had been a part of the productivity forum and the Fund Accounting Bangalore cultural committee. As a cultural committee, we have organised multiple events across Fund accounting teams in Bangalore in order to get all the teams closer outside work.

Yes there are. We have a number of Business Resource Councils focusing on areas such as Diversity and Inclusion, Women in Leadership. There are also initiatives like “Pep Talk” to aid work like balance. I try to get involved outside of my day-to-day role when I can. It’s a good way of getting to know different people and building a network.

I make sure that I create a list of activities I need to complete every day and prioritize the work accordingly. Outside of work, I have taken up swimming classes and also joined a soccer team, matches are played every week. I also spend some time cycling and running daily.

I have 10 years’ experience working in the financial services industry. I currently work as a Financial Accountant within the Structured Finance division of DMS in Ireland and I am based in our Cashel office. I am responsible for the management and delivery of services to our structured finance and aviation clients.

I enjoy that no two days are the same, the variety of our clients and the range of services we provide to them.

I am proud of the secondment I did in Tasmania, Australia while working with KPMG. Moving to a new country and culture was difficult but also liberating and something I would highly recommend anyone to do in their lifetime if they get the chance.

Initially in the Funds Industry I qualified as a chartered accountant and completed my training with KPMG Dublin in the financial services division, predominately in Funds. I have also spent 4 years working in the Finance department for the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund in the National Treasury Management Agency.

There are a variety of opportunities to further your career within financial services. There is also a vast range of different qualifications that can be completed while working in this area such as accounting, tax, financial advice, financial analyst, risk and compliance.

I am a member of the Sports and Social committee in DMS Governance, Cashel which was formed this year. As part of the social side we have held coffee mornings and bake sales to raise money for local charities. We have also organised well-being events such as yoga classes and well-being breakfasts for staff. We hope to expand these events throughout 2019.

I currently have a good work-life balance and this is promoted within our organisation. Living in Cashel means a short commute time to and from work.