Permanent TSB has been serving our communities for over 200 years. The recent Ulster Bank transaction has cemented our position as one of Ireland’s three business banks. Our focus is on simplifying the customer journey and evolving our business banking offering to support the needs of our customers.
Our people, our size as an organisation and our collaborative culture are key to this.
My role centres on managing the day-to-day operations of our central support team. This team provides support to our business managers in the credit decision journey and also manages the fulfilment of our loans. By centralising the process, we are reducing touchpoints and ensuring our customers get decisions and their money quickly. As part of the senior management team, I work closely with my colleagues on strategic planning and the development of our proposition, and, of course, with the finance team on the numbers.
Digitisation and a customer first approach have been two key areas of focus
The Irish banking sector is undergoing unprecedented change and a lot of businesses are evaluating their options. Digitisation and a customer first approach have been two key areas of focus in the industry, but finding the right approach is critical. The balance between digital and face-to-face engagement is important for relationship development. We are investing in our digital servicing and lending capabilities while also growing our lending team.
In the face of many challenges, we see cautious optimism in the business community. A build-up of savings during the pandemic among both consumers and SMEs should continue to feed demand and provide capital for business growth. Among the lessons from the Covid-19 era is the need to respond to change quickly and businesses are continuously revaluating plans. The impact of inflationary pressures, conflict in Ukraine, rising interest rate environments and the situation in the UK are all key considerations.
‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’
We have worked very hard over the past two years to build our business banking offering and this will only accelerate in 2023. We have tripled the size of our team since 2019 and are looking at 100% growth in lending for two consecutive years. We will also be welcoming a number of new colleagues from Ulster Bank and look forward to them joining and further developing our business banking proposition with the addition of the Lombard asset finance business. The opportunity to learn and develop further really excites me.
ACCA has provided a great base on which I’ve built a career across small practice, the Big Four and banking. I am a continuous learner, always looking at the next level to provide me with knowledge to apply to my career. A personal goal is to give more back to ACCA. I’ve joined the Financial Services panel this year and previously mentored through ACCA, so I’m looking forward to doing more in both in 2023.
The most important business lesson I have learned in my career is not to fake it until you make it. Acknowledge what you know and what you don’t know, have the confidence to seek out support when you need it and pay back in spades when it’s your turn. As the saying goes, ‘if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’.
