Susan Gray
Team Leader of a Reconciliations Team
BNP Paribas Securities Services

Tell me about what you do?

I work for BNP Paribas Securities Services in Dundee where I am the Team Leader of a Reconciliations Team. We provide third party administration services for various institutional clients.

My role involves working with a team of 7 to perform cash and stock reconciliations between our records and custodian records. We use automated reconciliations systems in the main to identify breaks in positions and we allocate these to the appropriate internal and external parties for resolution and clearance. We also have overall responsibility to ensure these parties are clearing which involves extensive knowledge of the industry as a whole and good management of the clearance process.

As a Team Leader I have overall responsibility of ensuring the ‘business as usual’ tasks are performed accurately and within strict deadlines, whilst developing and improving the processes within the department. I also manage and develop all the members of my team including carrying out individual meetings, appraisals, performance reviews etc.

It is a very varied role which always provides new challenges and opportunities.

What attracted you to a career in Investment Operations?

I started working in the industry in 2000 for a company called Edinburgh Fund Managers, where I was mainly involved with the trading and settlement side of the industry. We then transferred over to BNP Paribas Securities Services in 2004 and my role changed to fit in with their business.

The knowledge I gained on the trading and settlement side gave me an excellent grounding for the role I now perform within the Reconciliations Team, as you need to be aware of the whole investment cycle and where this can break down, to help with the resolution of breaks.

Previously I worked for a building society within the retail sector, so my background has always been in the finance industry, although my education was not particularly geared towards this type of career. I did a university degree in ‘American Politics and Political Studies’, and in a way I ‘fell’ into my first job. However I would say that the opportunities that have been made available to me have kept me in this industry.

Tell me how you have developed in your job(s)?

My original role within the investment operations industry was as a Floating Administrator which I did for one year. This involved moving around various teams dealing with different aspects of the industry from a back office point of view. This gave me a real insight into how the industry works and has stood me in good stead for all the subsequent tasks I have undertaken. I then moved into a trade and settlements team dealing with all back office aspects of trade matching and settlement. I then experienced the move to BNP Paribas and into a reconciliations role. This involved a number of changes and adjustments to the new job, but also offered a number of opportunities. After two years with BNP Paribas, I was promoted to Team Leader in 2006.

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

I would say that there are many opportunities available to anyone considering a career in this field. You must have a good work ethic and be prepared to put in extra effort on occasions, but the personal rewards can be great.