Industry Expert
Paul Thomas Walsh
Company: Morgan Stanley Position: Vice President, Operations About: Paul was a student at the University of Birmingham, studying an M.A. in International Political Economy before embarking on his career within the banking industry.
Can you briefly describe your role and what you do? I run the European Securities Projects Team. We are a dedicated project team managing front to back renovation for Sales and Trading, in Europe. We are a global team and we manage large multi year/region projects, but also smaller tactical projects. Our aims are to generate revenue for the Firm, increase efficiency for Operations and reduce risk and overall Firm costs. Day to day, I manage my team of analysts to ensure projects are on track and delivered correctly. I work with my counterparts in New York and Asia to help set the strategy of the team globally and I am answerable to key stakeholders from Sales and Trading, Technology and Operations. I am the escalation point when issues arise and I constantly work with my team to ensure they have what they need to deliver. What attracted you to the industry? The high profile nature of the industry and the fast-paced nature of the market trends/regulatory changes and the key political events which often shape what we have to do. I like things that move quickly and the responsibility that comes with responding to that. What do you enjoy most about working in this industry? The dynamism of what we do and how so many moving parts are brought together to deliver on change within the Firm. The impact of global events and how this shapes the projects on which we work.
The fact that I’m constantly challenged to learn/deliver more. What type of skills and characteristics does a student need to succeed within the industry? Capacity to learn in detail and quickly; there are always a lot of moving parts and we need people who can think creatively and logically at all stages. Motivation; people who can work independently but can also collaborate effectively with others globally. Tenacity and resilience; things can get tough sometimes and people need to have the right approach; they must always aim to succeed but at the same time be open and pragmatic when they make mistakes and know when to raise their hand.
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