Gearardine Donnelly

Name: Gearardine Donnelly
Job: Operations graduate
Employer: Barclays Capital
University: BSc Economics and Finance, Queens University Belfast (2009)

While at university, I spent 15 months working for Lehman Brothers. This allowed me to grasp the concept of operations and I was keen to further this knowledge and learn how other banks operated.

My job

The operations graduate scheme at Barclays Capital consists of two nine-month rotations, followed by a final placement. My first rotation involved working within treasury projects as a re-engineering analyst. My aim was to look at the current funding process within treasury and try to assess how we could improve it, by making the tasks that they carried out less manual and allowing the funding of the accounts to be more efficient. My current rotation is within the emerging market sales assistant team and is very much a client-services role.

My aim is to ensure that all trades flow smoothly through to settlement, to avoid non-settlement and also to answer all queries from our clients. I have met many people from different areas of the business and gained an understanding of how important operations is to the running of the bank. Operations supports both the business and its clients, by servicing them with the information they need and come to expect. Trades are booked in the front office, but without operations and the supporting infrastructure we provide they would never settle and the bank would fail to be successful.

Building relationships

One of the most enjoyable and important parts of my job is liaising with other areas within the bank. I have worked with finance, IT, and the sales and trading teams – which has allowed me to build relationships and expand my network. I also enjoy working with external clients. You build a rapport with your clients and feel confident with the response they provide to you.