Career of a Finance Professional: Meet SEO, Head of Investments, Investment Product Specialist: L
- Ruchika Airon
- Oct 11, 2017
- 4 min read
Liam is a senior banker professional based in Dubai. Within Banking, he specialises in the field of Wealth and Treasury Management. He has worked in senior positions with organisations such as Emirates NBD, HSBC and Barclays.
He is CFA Charterholder and has over twenty years banking experience across the Europe and the Middle East regions.
(The CFA Charter is one of the most respected designations in the field of finance and to enroll in this program one must hold a Bachelors degree).
FULL NAME : Liam Fraher
LOCATION : Dubai, UAE
DESIGNATION:SEO,Head of Investments, Investment Product SpecialistHAILS FROM : Ireland
Questions & Answers
ACADEMICS AND SKILLS
Q1. What did you have to study to get into this line of work and where did you attend college? Were/are there other ways of qualifying for this profession? (Please specify if your educational qualifications were necessary to get into this line of work).
Ans. They are so many diverse roles within banking that there is no one set route to enter the industry. Some roles are very technical requiring specialized qualifications while others require minimal qualification to get started.
My specialism is Product Development. I gained a degree in Business Studies & then qualified as a Chartered Financial Analyst. I also completed a Certificate in Islamic Finance. Senior product specialists typically have a primary degree and a Masters.
Q2. Academically, what subjects should a student be good at to be successful in this job(during school and higher education)?
Ans. Maths & Economics are very important subjects for this field while at school. However, Banking is going through tremendous change at the moment. It is projected that globally 30% of banking jobs will disappear over coming 5 years due to automation & technological advancements. Hence, having strong IT & programming skills are also essential for new entrants into Banking.
Q3. What skills should a student, aspiring for this profession try to develop during high school and possibly at an undergrad level?
Ans. One should take an interest in the financial market from a young age . Ability to communicate well both in writing and speaking is also of critical importance.
Strong work ethics are really important in this field as well as attention to detail. In banking we say the “The devil is in the detail”. A miss-placed comma can cost millions.
Q4. Which educational qualification would you recommend to students aspiring to get in your field?
Ans. I would definitely recommend the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification for anyone interested to make a career in Banking or Wealth Management. Its a challenging three year program which is quickly becoming an industry prerequisite.
ABOUT THE PROFESSION:
Q5. What are the day to day responsibilities of a professional in this field?
Ans. In terms of my role as a Product Specialist my main focus is on developing investment solutions to meet client needs, therefore a lot of time is spent meeting with clients to understand their exact needs.
Product sourcing and product approval process is also a big element of the job. There are numerous relationships to be managed during the process of delivering a product solution including Market counterparts, Risk and Compliance teams, Market regulator etc.
Managing my team is a very important element of the job too - keeping them motivated, challenged & productive is essential.
Q6. What does it really mean to be working in this role? (Do you have a good work-life balance? Do you travel a lot? Do you often have to meet a lot of new people?)
Ans. Having a good Work life balance can be a challenge especially when you are working on a large, time critical deal.
Also, remember that these deals are time critical because market conditions can change quickly and also because the competition from other banks is fierce. Many banking roles are very intensive & are not simply not "9 to 5” jobs. You are constantly busy and under pressure. You need to be very energetic, passionate and balanced to succeed in senior banking role.
Q7. What are the perks of being in this kind of a role?
Ans. For me the greatest perk of the job is the opportunity to interact with smart, interesting & successful people both in terms of clients and colleagues. Its amazing to hear how clients made their wealth and struggles they had to overcome on their journey.
PERSONAL CHOICES:
Q8. How did you choose this profession?
Ans. From a young age I was very interested in the stock market. I always wanted to be a dealer or trader.
Q9. What do you love about your job and what do you dislike?
Ans. I love interacting with clients and coming up with smart solutions for them. I dislike the job insecurity in the Banking industry.
Q10. Where did you start and where have you reached today? (Position/organization you started off with and where you are working now).
Ans. I started my career in London working as a junior Foreign exchange dealer. As my career progressed my product knowledge expanded and deepened to cover a wide variety of financial tools used to protect clients against interest and foreign exchange risk.
My focus now is on wealth management i.e. helping clients protect and grow their wealth- I recently completed a project in the *DIFC where I was responsible for the setup of a Wealth Platform from a scratch.
(*DIFC is a special economic zone in Dubai which houses hundreds of financial institutions and is a major global financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia markets).
MYTH Vs REALITY
Q11. Is there any myth you’d like to break about your profession that over-glamourises or de-glamourises it?
Ans. Bankers are ofter portrayed as being over paid, reckless and of little value-add to society. Banking is in fact essential for the proper functioning of any economy.
Banking is a challenging & competitive career - requiring attention to detail, a strong work ethic and intellect and an ability to draw on multiple skill sets.
Students/parents/teachers, did you like what you read? Are there any questions in your mind about the above answers? Would you like any guidance or further questions answered by Mr. Liam Fraher? If yes, please jump to the comments page to let us know if you liked the article and for questions please send us a message in the box provided at the last page! We would get back to you soon on all your queries.
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