We recently caught up with Todd, a Senior Manager at JM Finn, to find out about his professional journey and to hear more about why JM Finn is a great place to launch a career.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career journey to Senior Manager in Investment Administration
I’ve been in the industry for roughly 16 years. I joined HSBC Private Bank, after finishing my A-levels, where I had various roles within Operations including; Banking, Treasury, Cash Management and Investment Administration progressing to a Supervisor role. I then went on to manage a department within Operations at Arbuthnot Latham Private Bank, in their Investment Management arm. Within this smaller firm I gained vast experience in multiple roles including Corporate Actions, Transaction Reporting and US tax reporting. In my 4 years with JM Finn I’ve had 3 roles progressing to a Senior Manager responsible for; Trade Support, Settlements and Transfer processing. Whilst at the firm I have also completed my IOC+ and I am currently using the Apprenticeship Levy to complete my CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership. I sit on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Sustainability Committee. I am also heavily involved in the Investment Administration Training scheme which started in 2022. This offers opportunities to college leavers to complete a 2 year apprenticeship gaining exposure to all areas of Investment Administration via a structured rotation and completing their professional qualifications.
What’s the culture like at JM Finn?
JM Finn has a very good culture. I would say we are a values and ethics led organisation that looks after its employees, ever striving for new initiatives to strengthen employee engagement. It is a firm that rewards hard work and is somewhere staff can build a career.
What does D&I look like at JM Finn?
Much like the whole of the industry, there is work to be done before we achieve our goals at JM Finn. We are constantly improving with firm wide initiatives such as Women’s Networks, mentoring schemes, training programmes and recruitment and personnel policies. As mentioned above we have created the Investment Administration Training scheme, targeting Six forms and Colleges within a 3 mile radius of our head office in London capturing approx. 60 institutions many of which we would not ordinarily be able to reach. This is a programme I hold very close, educating and offering college leavers an opportunity they may not have been aware of, or known how to get involved.
Tell us about the D&I committee at JM Finn – what plans, goals and objectives are the firm working towards?
Our diversity and inclusion initiatives aim to create a fair environment where the best people want to stay and succeed. We know it is going to take time, but as a business we are committed to changing the current imbalance within our work force. As previously mentioned, I am part of the D&I Committee at JM Finn. The committee is made up of volunteers from across the business which helps to offer a variety of opinions and perspectives. Our CEO and two other Management Committee members are also part of our D&I group which helps to prove that JM Finn is committed to improving the issues across the industry.
How can new joiners get involved in D&I initiatives?
Everyone across the firm is encouraged to get involved with our D&I initiatives. Anyone can attend our regular committee meetings to gain an understanding of what we are working on and what they can do to help. Our Committee is not a closed shop, anyone that is interested in joining the committee can simply volunteer. Additionally, the committee host events and encourage all staff to get involved.
What top tips would you give to members wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Get involved in as much as you can! Day to day queries, initiatives, committees, and networking events all give you exposure to industry knowledge and experience. I have found throughout my career that people are more approachable than you may assume. Everyone has started out not understanding everything and that’s ok, don’t be afraid to get it wrong.
Anything else you’d like to add?
It’s ok not to know what you want your entire career to be when you start out in an industry. There are far more career paths than I initially realised. When looking at work experience or training programmes make sure they give you a variety of exposure and understanding of all roles in the industry where possible.