In August 2021 I joined Prime19, a new company that provides bespoke services and custom-built products to improve the functioning of the business environment for clients across a variety of sectors. At Prime19 we have extensive senior regulatory, consulting, academic and industry experience in financial services alongside an in-depth knowledge of risk management practices from both a commercial and legal perspective. We have a stated ambition to utilise analytics, data and technology to drive value creation and remove inefficiencies from the business lifecycle. In my role with Prime19 I am using my experience in financial modelling, risk management, business analytics, data solutions, process automation and financial regulation to be able to generate significant value-add for our clients.

In 2020, following a relocation to Madrid, I started a new role with PwC within their Risk Consulting department. This was a particularly exciting and challenging opportunity to build on my previous experience in Dublin and apply it in a new environment and through a new language. My time with PwC was made even more interesting as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on all aspects of life including professional life. Initially, I worked on the review of IFRS9 models for a large multinational bank. This also involved replication of their provision’s engine and analysis of portfolio trends and characteristics using a dynamic dashboard. I also worked as part of a team to analyse the extraordinary provisions in order to cover the credit losses which resulted from the impact of COVID-19 for a variety of banks.Additionally, I had the opportunity to complete an assurance review of a range of COVID-19 response measures for a large multinational bank. This involved reviewing the moratoriums and public guarantees schemes granted in different geographic regions to ensure compliance with EBA guidelines. Analysis of the trends of these measures was also carried out to identify and deterioration in credit risk. Finally, I was part of a team responsible for executing the EBA 2021 Stress Test for a Spanish bank. This encompassed several risk areas aside from credit risk including operational risk and market. Support was provided for template submission as well as the additional reporting required for COVID-19 measures and sector specific information. Reponses to supervisor queries were also prepared in order to defend the banks individual parameter projections.

Following the completion of my undergraduate degree, I accepted a role with Grant Thornton’s recently formed Quantitative Risk Consulting team. Through this role I gained significant exposure to a broad range of projects while working alongside various clients. In more detail, I was involved in the development and validation process of an IRB model for an Irish pillar bank. This process included initial exploratory data analysis, data quality, single and multiple factor analysis, model development and calibration, documentation and support throughout the model validation process. Upon completion of the IRB model development, I worked alongside the stress testing team as part of the delivery of the 2018 EBA Stress Test exercise. My responsibilities included supporting client with the regulatory burden, the development of challenger models, implementation of the stress testing engine, delivery of the final templates and finally, support in engagement with the regulator during the supervisory process. I also had the opportunity to streamline the stress testing engine, specifically in order to improve efficiency and include additional functionality for dynamic elements such as new lending and loan sales. Finally, I also had the chance to develop a suite of analysis tools and dashboards in R with the aim of both providing benefits to potential clients as well as training graduates. From my time with Grant Thornton, I received fantastic exposure to the risk management function of large institutions and gained vast knowledge of core regulatory topics including definition of default, capital requirements, IFRS 9 standards, IRB modelling guidelines and stress testing.

While working with Grant Thornton, I also tutored in UCD for the module Applied Portfolio and Risk Management. My duties included assisting students with the material covered and supporting them both with the technical and conceptual elements of their assignments (developed using MATLAB). In particular, we covered topics such as credit scorecard models and implementation, stress testing and macroeconomic scenarios and portfolio risk management.

As part of my studies in UCD, I had the opportunity to work as an intern in the risk analytics department of Bank of Ireland. Within this role, I was exposed to data analytics, risk modelling and the general risk management function of a significant financial institution. My specific responsibilities included producing management information reports, implementing coding efficiencies and conducting unique analysis to address specific queries. Specifically, I began to learn SAS programming in order to analyse and produce reports regarding the credit decisioning models and process. These reports were used by senior management to review the performance of the models and the underwriting teams. Subsequently, I was involved in producing and delivering the COREP and FINREP reports on a quarterly basis eventually leading to redeveloping the process through SAS macros to increase the efficiency of the process.My time with Bank of Ireland was very beneficial and gave me fantastic exposure to the work environment while allowing me to develop new skills and knowledge.