Experience

Castle Community Bank

• United Kingdom
• Financial Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Operations Manager

  • Oct 2020 - Present

  Following a long overdue break from full time employment, it was time to get back on the treadmill with a much better work life balance, at the same time give something back to the community. Working in a market leading credit union investing in on-line technology with aspirations to significantly grow the business both online and within the local communities. Following a long overdue break from full time employment, it was time to get back on the treadmill with a much better work life balance, at the same time give something back to the community. Working in a market leading credit union investing in on-line technology with aspirations to significantly grow the business both online and within the local communities.



Lloyds Banking Group

• United Kingdom
• Financial Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Manager - Business Risk

  • Apr 2018 - Nov 2019

  Senior Manager leading a team of 14 colleagues in the first line business risk team located across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham. Accountabilities covered completing outcome testing and control testing for a portfolio of commercial banking products. Circa 1,000 hours testing per month. Ensured testing was completed and accurate outputs produced to satisfy senior executive committees responsible for conduct risk, raising risk events if necessary. Key achievements include:• Designed and implemented new testing methodology to focus scarce resource on testing the ‘right tings at the right time’ saving time, reducing cost maintaining quality.• Consistently delivered quality conduct risk outcome testing overcoming resource challenges and increased workload. Show less

• Senior Manager

  • Apr 2018 - Nov 2019

  Problem Solving: Consistent track record of problem solving working on operational risk events. These events involve colleagues failing to follow process and require detailed analysis of root cause and effect, before recommending actions plans to resolve. Investigative Skills: Excellent investigative skills acquired during roles in audit and human resources. Handling the people aspects through the disciplinary process including chairing disciplinary interviews. Examples included dealing with colleagues’ accused of embezzlement, or cases where colleague behaviour breached internal standards expected.Technical: Strong regulatory, compliance and operational risk knowledge acquired whilst providing oversight of financial services products. Mentoring colleagues dealing with operational risk events enabling them to arrive at the appropriate conclusion. Maintained technical skillset keeping it aligned to the regulatory landscape, specifically Microsoft Office applications. Proficient using word, Excel and PowerPoint.Stakeholders: Proven track record establishing and managing senior stakeholders, building relationships based upon mutual trust, credibility and respect from which a natural ability to challenge the status quo is derived. Various roles involved working in teams including time in audit, human resource and on strategic change project teams.Change Management: Significant knowledge & experience of oversight of major technological change programmes working in ‘virtual’ teams, understanding the need to ensure implementation under pressure due to tight deadlines, managing competing priorities. Communication / People Management: Operating in large organisations, leading and coaching a team across multi-sites required structured communication skills at all levels, displayed during the management of team meetings, and contribution during senior steering committees via video links. Adaptive communication skills to suit the audience. Show less

• Senior Manager - Business Risk

  • Jan 2009 - Apr 2018

  During this period performed the role of lead operational risk business partner supporting major strategic change and integration projects in commercial banking. Key achievements include:• Used influencing skills to minimise the risks to clients of changes being implemented to their products by commercial banking’s group strategic programme (£246m investment over 3yrs) ensuring this was a seamless change programme for clients and colleagues. • Raised and highlighted key risks and issues to be managed as part of the largest customer migration programmes in the industry. Making sure commercial banking clients moved across to the new platforms within risk appetite, following the merger between Lloyds and HBOS (over 100,000 commercial clients moved), ensuring they could still operate their products and access services.• Deputising for ‘head of’ on senior executive committees reducing the risk of colleagues mis-selling commercial products, minimising the losses experienced from incident management by steering remediation, and driving ownership and rectification for material risk events minimising the losses, which had the potential to be in excess of £5m. Show less

• Manager Executive Support

  • Dec 1985 - Dec 2008

  Spent successful period in two central business management executive support functions having transferred following successful grounding in the branch network and exposure to human resource and audit. Key achievements include: • Direct interaction with the managing director of corporate banking, improved my executive stakeholder relationship skills. Supporting over 500 field based relationship managers.• Entrusted to identifying benefits which business banking would achieve from using a new core banking system. Culminated in a visit to Australia applying experience, reported back on how the IT capability and functionality could be exploited (paper reduction with on-line real time processing with recommendations implemented.)• Gained valuable experience knowledge and insight in handling disciplinary procedures including chairing and executing summary dismissals of colleagues during time in human resources division.• Trained by external consultants to apply productivity methodologies including re-engineering business processes and implementing efficient working practices.• Utilised these skills in strategic change projects resulting in a move to human resources to outsource the bank of scotland pension fund.• Acquired strong risk and control skills reviewing business processes being centralised from the bank of scotland branch network.• Accelerated through the clerical grades building fundamental banking skills, laying foundations relative to business processes and product features. Show less



Volunteering

• Edinburgh, United Kingdom

• Personal Development And Qualifications

  • Dec 1985 - Oct 2019

  MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MBA – Edinburgh Business School, Napier University. CHARTERED BANKER, MEMBER OF THE CHARTERED BANKERS INSTITUTE, MCIBS – Glasgow Caledonian University, & Kilmarnock College VOLUNTEERING - Served on my local golf club committee as captain and vice captain also a member of my local church volunteering on the finance committee. MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MBA – Edinburgh Business School, Napier University. CHARTERED BANKER, MEMBER OF THE CHARTERED BANKERS INSTITUTE, MCIBS – Glasgow Caledonian University, & Kilmarnock College VOLUNTEERING - Served on my local golf club committee as captain and vice captain also a member of my local church volunteering on the finance committee.