Ferghal O’Hanlon, BNY’s Manchester site executive
Q. What is your role at BNY?
Actually I have two! The first is the Global Head of Embedded Control for Operations and the second is the site executive for BNY’s Manchester location. My control role involves working as part of the first line of defence operations function of the bank, to ensure we deliver exceptional client service. The site lead role focuses on developing and delivering the local strategy for our Manchester office and aligning it with global priorities.
Q. When did BNY open an office in Manchester and how has it grown since?
BNY first opened an office in Manchester in 2005. At the beginning there were around 50 employees, however, we have grown rapidly and now our team has approximately 1,300 employees across 20 different departments. This means we have a broad range of roles in Manchester from graduate level positions and apprenticeships for school leavers through to global team head positions for experienced financial services professionals. There are plenty of opportunities for career growth and professional development in a dynamic, modern environment that has been specifically designed to foster collaboration.
Q. What’s your favourite part of working in Manchester?
BNY has established a fantastic network with organisations across the North West and together we are helping to drive positive change for the people that live and work in the city. For example we have worked with the Alliance Manchester Business School on a series of panel discussions bringing together academics and businesses to debate how best the region can attract investment and make the most of its expertise in finance, digital and creative industries. Such partnerships are hugely rewarding and one of my favourite aspects of working with the company.
More generally, I am really enjoying working in this dynamic city. Having recently relocated from London, I am relatively new to Manchester but it was very clear from my first few days here how welcoming people are and the strong sense of community that prevails. I’m really proud to work with so many colleagues who take active roles in supporting our local communities through a number of corporate philanthropic and community partnership activities.
Q. Who inspires you?
Colleagues that bring great energy and a drive for excellence inspire me every day. We have a diverse team here in Manchester and seeing those different perspectives come together to generate great outcomes is fantastic. It’s also incredibly rewarding to see colleagues fulfil their potential –for example Sean Turner who started his career as an apprentice and is now Head of Global Liquidity Management and Head of European Money Transfer. You can read his career development story on our UK website.
I’m particularly inspired by those leading our local Employee Resource Groups who mobilise around a shared characteristic or interest in supporting and raising awareness of diversity. Diversity and Inclusion is part of BNY’s culture and we are committed to ensuring we are as diverse and inclusive as possible. In Manchester we run six of these groups which do incredible work in driving our progress internally and in the market reinforcing our brand externally as an employer of choice.
Q. What advice would you give someone thinking about a career at BNY?
Working at BNY, and in financial services more generally, is a hugely rewarding career. Whether you are a school leaver, graduate, return to work parent or highly experienced finance professional there are roles you can apply for through our website which will allow you to build your experience and learn new things. The diversity of work in financial services often surprises people who haven’t previously worked in the industry. In our Manchester office we have a huge variety of roles across technology, accounting, risk and project management, operations, HR and many more.
Career and global mobility is made possible due to the depth and breadth of the company and there are lots of role models across the organisation who have experienced this first-hand and are pleased to share their insights. Building your network within the company is very important and luckily, given the size of the organisation, there are plenty of tools and resources to help support you.
To find out more about the roles available at BNY in Manchester visit our careers site.