I did business organisation and economics in school for my final exams which gave me a starter understanding of the area of business. I enjoyed these subjects a lot and decided to do a business degree (commerce) in UCD to continue my learning in this area. I still didn't really know what I wanted to do so following that I trained to be an accountant which further expanded my knowledge and experience in the field of business.

At the time my main focus was on just getting broad business experience and a financial qualification to give me a strong base or platform to build a career on across a large amount of areas. I choose not to go down a specialist route which has served me well given my interests. I then travelled around the world for a year which gave me think to think about what I wanted from a career. I came back and did finance for a year but then got into banking in 2006 and have been there ever since. The key point was moving from finance to banking which involved taking a step back career wise to ultimately move forward. Some people don't like doing this but when you're young and have a long career ahead of you it's not an issue and it's more important to be doing something you enjoy.

My dad was a really big influence on my career in particular when I was in secondary school. He worked in Bank of Ireland for 40 years and gave me great guidance on career choices all along. For those that don't have someone to guide them at home I would certainly recommend finding someone in your broader family or school to chat through as it's really helpful. My dad's key thing was to focus on something that opens you up to many career options which is what business subjects/degrees and an accountancy qualification does. He also ensured I focused on areas that I enjoyed.

I wasn't very good at science which was mainly because I didn't enjoy it so that wasn't for me for example! As I've continued my career I have had lots of people along the way who have given me great guidance and support, instilling things like the importance of being confident in yourself and your ability, be good to people, be open/honest and transparent in you work and life, work as a team and have fun along the way. Not getting too caught up in the medium or long term is important, just continue to get experience and see where your career path leads is more important.

My current job became an opportunity when the last person in that role left to get a bigger job. I spoke to people in the bank who would be making the decisions and positioned myself to get that role. I went through lots of interviews and had to do a lot of work to be prepared for that. The key part though is the importance of building your network and getting to know people all along your career journey as you will always need people to try and help you along the way.

Every day is a little bit different which is why I love my job. I get to meet different people/customers every day and spend my day interacting with either team mates or other people across the business. I also get to work on large deals which I find very rewarding too. There are around 40 people in the team and I really enjoy the teamwork that comes with that. I love sport which is mainly due to the team aspect if it and work is very similar. If you like dealing with people banking is a great career. Being able to build rapport with customers is crucial and we do get to socialise with them at events occasionally which is also fun.

My job is to manage a team of around 40 people who support customers/large companies in Ireland with their banking needs; so if they need a loan, manage foreign exchange or need to move their money around the world my team helps them in that regard.

We also spend a lot of time with our clients building the relationship and trust with them. I also need to make sure any risks are managed, as that is really important in banking.

The most challenging aspect is managing all of the different tasks that need to be completed as part of my role. Once you move into a senior management position in any company, there is a lot of responsibility that rests on your shoulders. With experience you get used to that and it doesn't cause me an issue, but it certainly keeps me busy! I think the word "perspective" is a great word to have in your head as you go through a career.

There have been many occasions in my career where things have become a challenge or things have gone wrong but having perspective and always doing your best is the key here. My experience has shown that no matter how bad you think things are at a point in time, by working hard and showing integrity you can make sure they work out in the end. There's no point getting stressed or worried, you can only do your best.

The best things about my job:

• Working with great people every day who are fun to be around
• Working on some of the biggest deals in the Irish and Global market
• Meeting new people every week and learning about their businesses
• Seeing how technology is changing the world around us
• Having a chance to progress in the company through hard work
• Being able to work flexibly, and ensure a good balance between work and family life

Not really. We have to do some administration-type work that isn't the most exciting thing but is really important to supporting our clients.

I think my main skills I bring are: Collaboration: I work well with people and love being part of a team that succeeds.

I have built up a lot of experience and knowledge over my career, which I can use to help others and make sure we do well as a team I have always believed that valuing people and treating them well is really important to any business, and believe this attitude is important in any workplace.

I did business Organisation and Economics for my leaving cert which helped me understand business and work out it was something I wanted to do more of. This gave me a good base. There is nothing I would have changed as I'm a firm believer in just getting lots of experience and you never know when or how it'll benefit you in your career, but if you keep learning new things it has to be positive.

My education to date:

• Leaving Cert where I did two business subjects that helped give me a base knowledge.
• UCD Commerce: a very good broad business degree and college was a fun time too
• KPMG Accountancy qualification: a broad business qualification and great training in KPMG also.
• Qualified Financial Advisor: helped me understand some banking products
• Prince 2 Project Mgt qualification: helped me manage projects better at a time it was important to me.
• Certified Bank Director with Institute of Bankers in Ireland: helped me get experience to operate at a board level in a bank or elsewhere.
• Multiple education courses in places I have worked which allowed me to continue to learn new things on a yearly basis.
• I would also add that the year I spent travelling educated me on a lot on the softer skills that are crucial to success in a job, so formal education is really important but other life education along the way helps shape you too.

All education I have done has shaped the person/professional I am today, but I think the degree in business, the accountancy qualification and my Certified Bank Director qualification have been the most important to benefit my career and knowledge. In saying that I also travelled around the world for a year with friends after I was in KPMG and I would feel that travel equally helped shape me to be successful today.

The interpersonal and personal development skills enhanced on that trip were really important so it's important not just to focus on academic learnings. In the end of the day the right type of person is what people want and a lot of that is down to their character, values and ethics as much as their knowledge and qualifications.

I have had a number of promotions over the years and these have all been very rewarding and made me proud. They give me recognition and reward for my hard work which makes it all worthwhile. I also take a lot of pleasure when I see colleagues who I have worked with get promotions and advance their careers. Barclays also encouraged me and other senior leaders to sit on a few charity boards over the years, and the work I have done with them has been very rewarding too.

I think I have some good qualities that have certainly helped me but are also probably helpful for any career. All can be worked on too. Work ethic: I have always worked hard which is really important in business. Team player: whether it's in sport or work I love being part of a team and having success as a team. Strong values and ethics: I think it's really important to do things in the right way and consider other people which is really important. Eager to learn and take on new challenges Loyalty: which I believe is an important trait, and helps build trust. Get on well with people Have strong perspective so I don't stress too much or worry when things aren't perfect, I just try and find solutions.

My dream job is still to play soccer for Man United but I may be past that now at 42 and with bad knees! I love my current job at Barclays and would just like to continue to progress in our organisation. My dream job is a role that allows me do all the things I enjoy while also having the right amount of time for my family and for myself which is really important. Luckily, I have that at Barclays

I am very lucky to have a job that allows me to have balance between work and family life. This has never been more important than in recent years when I've had 3 children. Working for a company or in a job that allows you balance is really important to ensure you are happy. When you're happy you work much better and tend to then have a better career. My job also gives me a platform to provide a good life for my family and although it has been hard work along the way that level of security is really important to me.

As I become more senior, I am also given opportunities to support our community more by sharing my knowledge and I have worked with a number of charities in recent years to try and give something back also which is really important and fulfilling.

I would recommend a career in banking mainly because of the variety it offers. People have a view of banking as the bank teller taking cash in a branch but there is so much more to offer. We have people like me that deal with customers, do large deals, travel and work as teams. But we also have people that trade shares, that manage risk/finance, that work with charities, that manage the largest mergers in the world, that work in green finance, that come up with all the new products and innovation, that look after the wealth of high net worth individuals and many other areas.

So it's worth looking at further to find an area of the very broad sector of banking to find something that suits your interests most.

Being able to work as a team and be collaborative Strong values and ethics Enjoy dealing with people

I find it difficult working with people who aren't team players, but luckily, I don't have that issue in my current organisation. I don't like some admin work, but we all have to do it!

I always look to do some level of new training every year and this year I will do training through Barclays to keep me moving forward.

Any work in Financial Services or even beyond would position people well for a career in banking. In the end of the day it's all about attitude.
If you come into a career with the right attitude and a willingness to learn and work hard you will be a success at anything.

Head of Corporate Banking, Ireland