Wealth Manager
Globaleye
Total years of experience :13 years, 2 months
Responsible for the end to end process of developing and managing new clients. Identifying potential clients; setting up and conducting meetings and presentations about our corporate and private services; options identification and analysis; retrieving quotes and completing recommendation paperwork and personal Financial Summaries; application completion and submission; Fund research and client investment portfolio management; client quarterly review meetings.
In addition, I organised educational seminars to try and develop interest in certain financial planning and protection techniques, facilitating subsequent presentations or meetings on either an individual or corporate basis. This proved a very effective method for introducing key ideas to a larger audience and reinforcing the existence of professionalism in the industry.
I received a promotion to Commercial Finance Analyst (CFA) after only 7 months as Business Analyst and during a period of many redundancies due to obsolescence of many roles as a result of management information system overhaul. 4 CFA roles were created as part of the new departmental structure, with 15 internal candidates potentially suitable for the positions.
After my appointment, I reported directly to the Finance Director, with management responsibility for 5 divisional P&L's. My primary responsibilities were the preparation of the periodic (4-weekly) key issues statement for presentation in the board report to the CEO, CFO and UK MD; preparation of 5 annual budgets with quarterly updates and variance analysis; support and counsel for the divisional MDs; balance sheet sign-off for items such as accruals and debtors; and the preparation and sign-off of senior management commission schemes.
The role required advanced analytical skills, the ability to discuss issues with and influence senior management decision making, coordination of a multitude of tasks culminating in a singular goal, and reliability to work to tight deadlines in pressurised situations.
A mastery of Microsoft Excel was always of paramount importance and a strong grasp of the logic in the Management systems, in this case, JD Edwards Accounting Software and Oracle (Peoplesoft).
In this position I was primarily responsible for the administration of the Profit and Loss accounts for Hays Healthcare and Hays Social Care, and the consolidated P&L. This included the preparation of the annual budgets and quarterly forecasting, and basic counselling for the divisional MDs over cost control. This was a supervisory role with 3 contract staff, who were tasked with the preparation of monthly accruals, and the completion and reconciliation of commissions payments.
On completion of the P&L, I would meet with the divisional FD to explain any significant variances in costs, and ensure accruals were correctly in place for upcoming variations in pay relative to bonus structures and commission payments or any other costs that were not originally included in the budget or forecast. All findings and explanations would then be presented in a periodic management report which was my responsibility to complete for finalisation of a board pack for the CFO and UK MD.
Selected as one of two individuals to assist with the implementation of a new Procurement Department. Initial involvement entailed the selection of a web based e-sourcing tool (Ariba), and the analysis and identification of initial projects. Reporting directly to the Procurement Director, the role evolved into project management with responsibilities covering strategy formulation, RFI/RFP administration, supplier interview and selection, and Post Implementation Review. Within 2 years, £4m in annual savings were attributed to the department’s work, £1.5m of which was associated to projects that I ran (Travel; Hotels and Conferencing).
I was responsible for the management of the Hays Education Profit and Loss account; Accruals accounting; periodic (4-weekly) management board report; frequent conversing with senior management; and for adhering to recurring deadlines amidst demands for adhoc management information presentation, and general business query resolution.
I was also tasked with the preparation, signing off with the divisional MD, and the reconciliation of the monthly commissions payments.
A strong command of the business management systems and Microsoft software was of paramount importance in this role for ensuring an ability to adhere tight deadlines.
This was an introductory position within Hays Construction and Property reporting into the Finance Manager. Responsibilities included: Basic journal processing; accrual preparation; Profit and Loss analysis; and management information reporting.
Another key aspect of this role was the preparation and agreement of the monthly commissions payments for the more that 1, 000 employees within this division. During my time in this role, I revolutionised the preparation of the commission statements, from an antiquated data entry approach, to a simple fee summary upload with automated commissions calculation. This system was only subsequently replaced 5 years later during MIS overhaul.
This role also included a 7 month secondment to Recruitment Consultant in predominantly an Account Management role, to experience the core operation of the business. An appreciation of the responsibilities of the client facing side helped to break down the preconceptions existing between the "Back Office" and "Front Office" staff.
I studied part time to become a Chartered Management Accountant whilst working for Hays Recruitment. This involved attending lectures and seminars in the evenings or at weekends, and preparing for exams with one and a half days study leave plus personal time per exam. My highest scores were achieved on the Financial Accounting modules. Even though I was strongly advised to avoid taking 2 exams within the same pillar simultaneously, I did so and passed both on the first sitting. The final exam, also referred to as TOPCIMA, was an in depth case study, allowing us to study information about a scenario in advance, and then deal with further information under exam conditions, in which a company might otherwise seek external consultancy advice.
This was the entry level qualification for providing Financial Advice to International Clients. This was entirely self directed study, but obligatory to prove my ability to transition from a Corporate Finance position, into Private Wealth Management.
During my time at Exeter, I played in the squash team, the hockey team and the golf team.