Rachel Brown
Senior Fund Accountant
Franklin Templeton Investments

Tell me about what you do?

My team consists of six people; a supervisor, two senior fund accountants and three fund accountants. My team looks after the corporate actions for about 70 funds.

The fund accountants do the actual processing and we look out for more unusual things. When there is a problem we identify what the problem is and then we escalate it to a different department for them to take the necessary action to sort it out.

Everyday you come in you don't know what you are going to be faced with, and I like the challenge of that.

What did you do before your current job?

I did an honours degree in accountancy and then worked here as a fund accountant for two years.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I like the fact that because we are in contact with people in America, Hong Kong and Bournemouth on a daily basis many of the people there have become friends to me. It is quite nice that even though I have not actually met these people face-to-face I can still have a good chat with them.

One of the girls I deal with in Singapore is over just now, and because of work we have become friends.

How did you come to be working part-time?

Once I was ready to return to work after my maternity leave I approached Franklin Templeton about coming back part time. They've been really flexible about this. Working part-time has also worked well within the department.

What would you say to others considering a career in Investment Operations?

I would say that the prospects in the industry are good, as long as you have got the determination to do the job well. I think it is a good industry to go into as it is always expanding. I like that I am part of an international company and the money is very good.