Katie W

Studied: Law, Sheffield University 
Location: London
Joined: 2012
Interests: Yoga, reading, cooking and creative home improvements / furniture restoration

About me 
I am Head of the Implementation team for Wealth Management in the UK. I manage a team of five people who look after the discretionary managed accounts according to the investment solutions prescribed by the portfolio managers.

How I joined 
I applied to Rothschild & Co because of their reputation in the industry, the fact it is family controlled and the talent present in the firm. The ambitious and expanding nature of the firm appealed to me as an excellent place to build a career in Wealth Management.

What is great about my job 
My role is very varied and includes a number of different types of tasks. It provides good exposure across the business in investments, risk and operations, and is therefore very interesting, and allows me to interact with a variety of stakeholders.
 
My take on the culture 
Rothschild & Co is a place that allows you the space to be creative and innovative. We are not constrained by red tape and management are always open to new suggestions and improvements. In this respect it is a very dynamic and inclusive place to work.

My day
A typical day may look as follows:
8.30am - Run a set of standard reports to facilitate checks by the implementation team to ensure all payments into discretionary accounts have been dealt with and ensuring overall FX exposures are in line with expectations
9am - Catch up and respond to email queries
9.30am - Meeting to discuss the transfer of an external custodied account
10am - Conference calls to determine the eligibility of a new product for purchase across all our accounts, liaising with various third parties
10.30am - Hold a prioritisation meeting with the IT team to discuss all current projects and updates
11.30am - Provide sign off for financial promotion materials from the front office
Midday - Provide a six-eyes sign off for a block trade (typical trade size £50 million)
1pm - Lunch
2pm - Team meeting to discuss recent achievements, issues, holiday cover and any other business
3pm - Meeting to discuss operational risk. 
4pm - Work on putting together a training presentation
5.30pm - Provide sign off for financial promotion materials from the front office
6.30pm - Catch up and respond to email queries

Travel and international mobility
I travel to Switzerland on average once every two months to provide support and guidance to the equivalent implementation and controls team in the Zurich office and also to work with IT on specific projects.

Where I see myself in 10 years' time Still at Rothschild & Co with a wealth of experience and a responsibility set to match!