The Inside View
Neil Wright
Neil Wright became ACA qualified in 2004 and now works in risk for a global investment bank.
NQ.com:
What advice would you give to newly qualified accountants?
Neil:
It is a good idea to be aware of the types of roles that are available for newly qualified accountants. The accountancy qualification opens up so many doors (e.g. operational risk, internal audit, financial accounting). I would advocate speaking to a recruitment consultant about the opportunities available. Additionally I would advise attending open evenings and speaking to accountants about what their role entails.
NQ.com:
Why did you make the career decisions you did once you became newly qualified?
Neil:
Having trained with a smaller firm I was ready for a new challenge and decided to make the move to a Big Four accountancy firm to gain some exposure to the financial services sector. After a year I was ready for a new challenge and decided to make the move to investment banking.
NQ.com:
What does your current role entail?
Neil:
My current role involves the production of monthly regional and global loss reports for an investment bank. This involves looking at the risks that the business faces and ensuring that there are action plans in place to mitigate these risks. The role also involves front-to-back reviews, assessment of operational risks, producing metrics on losses incurred and incident reporting reviews.
NQ.com:
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
Neil:
The exposure to so many different areas within the investment bank and the challenge of meeting demanding deadlines. Additionally the role is so different to anything I have undertaken before.
NQ.com:
What skills and strengths did you find essential to make the move from practice into investment banking?
Neil:
I definitely needed excellent communication skills and the ability to influence people. A sound understanding of control procedures has also helped.