Tom Wilkinson - Commercial Banking

• What inspires you?
• What attracted you to Barclays?
• Why did you choose to join Commerical Bank?
• Can you briefly describe what Commerical Bank does?
• What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
• What support and training have you had since joining?
• What qualities do you need to succeed at Barclays?
• What kind of person do you need to be to succeed in Commerical Bank?
• Can you outline any inspirational moments you've been involved with?
• Why join Commerical Bank?
• Who at work inspires you and why?

What inspires you?

Lance Armstrong. He’s my inspiration because he’s overcome significant challenges and adversity in his life through a terrific mental attitude and determination. I feel these are the things I need to succeed here at Barclays.

What attracted you to Barclays?

One of the main things that attracted me to Barclays was the impeccable reputation that they’ve built over 300 years and also the fact that they’ve always been innovative in how they’ve approached their business. The leadership are not scared to make important and tough decisions, and we can see that from the last year’s activities. They’ve come out very strongly and it’s really good to be associated with a team that’s industry leading.

Why did you choose to join Commercial Bank?

I chose to join the Commercial Bank because I wanted to be at the very heart of what Barclays does. I also feel it’s a great place to learn the core skills, so I can develop in whichever direction I want within Barclays.

Can you briefly describe what Commercial Bank does?

The commercial bank provides a complete range of products and services to external customers – any corporate entity. Their turnover could be one million or hundreds of millions. And that’s not just debt, which is often what people think of when they think of a bank. We also provide foreign exchange facilities, cash and trade and many different, very innovative products to allow companies to focus on their businesses – we provide all the banking services they need to succeed.

What aspects of you job do you enjoy the most?

The main aspect I enjoy is the variety – that no two days are the same. I really like the fact that I can mix with really senior individuals within the organisation. I don’t think I’d be able to do that in many other jobs this soon out of university. Also, the fact that I can go and see what makes businesses succeed and what makes them fail is of real interest. Fundamentally, I get to provide facilities that enable businesses to grow and that’s something that’s obviously very satisfying.

What support and training have you had since joining?

Since joining the bank, I’ve had thorough training and support both from our central HR team and my Commercial Bank team. I feel I’ve been given a variety of resources to learn from and can up-skill myself on any areas that I don’t feel confident in. The training has been pretty much first-rate since joining the bank.

What qualities do you need to succeed at Barclays?

I think you need a range of qualities to succeed in Barclays, but mainly it’s to do with attitude – being hard working, being self motivated. You also need to be adaptable, you need to be able to change with the climate.  Banking is changing all the time, and our customers are changing all the time.

What kind of person do you need to be to succeed in Commercial Bank?

I think the main thing you need to succeed in my area is an interest in business. You need some basic analytical skills, but they can be learnt. You need a desire to learn, and commercial awareness.

Can you outline any inspirational moments you’ve been involved with?

One of the most inspirational moments for me was about 6 months into the role. I never thought that within 6 months I’d be asked to attend an important meeting for a prospective new client – a really big target of our team. I went down there with a Relationship Director and a few product specialists and we sat in front of the Board and presented to them on our business, what we can offer and our industry expertise. The feedback was very good. 

Why join Commercial Bank?

I would say if you want to learn about business and how companies operate, then join the commercial bank, because you’re front line and you’re actively involved with the industry.

Who at work inspires you and why?

There’s one Relationship Director that I particularly aspire to. He’s had a lot of success in his career, but he’s still very motivated, very driven and a very nice person to speak to. He’s an all-round good employee.