Tom Robertson, Group Statutory Reporting Associate at Bank of Ireland

• Name: Tom Robertson
• Current Role Title: Group Statutory Reporting Associate
• Division: Group Finance
• Business Unit: Group Financial Control
• Team: Group Statutory Reporting

Brief overview of your career path to date.

I worked as an Internal Audit Associate in a large audit practice for one year, before moving on to a Financial Associate role in a telecommunications company. After that, I joined Bank of Ireland in September 2021.

What does a typical day look like for you and your team?

Our team starts work usually between 8-9am and, outside of busy season, we focus on the preparation of the accounts of some of the Bank’s subsidiary companies.

During our busy season, we focus on the preparation of the annual and interim reports for the Group as well as many of the external deliverables necessary to meet regulatory reporting requirements. There can be a lot involved in both the Group accounts and the subsidiaries as all of them have unique challenges - no two days are quite alike!

What do you enjoy most about working with Bank of Ireland?

I like the flexibility in the approach to hybrid working as our team is spread across Ireland so we all meet up once a month but I have the flexibility to choose how and when I work during non-busy periods. I try to go into the office once or twice a week to get face-to-face contact but I do value the flexibility to choose where I work when I need to.

I have worked in the London office on two occasions too, which is great for experiencing a different environment and getting to know our UK colleagues! I also enjoy the many initiatives and committees that the Bank has and I am involved in some of those committees in some capacity.

How do the ways of working in Bank of Ireland enable you to thrive at work?

Being able to be flexible in both the way I work and in how I work has enabled me to become more focused on both colleague-to-colleague engagement and value-adding work contributions to my team.

Having a hybrid office approach is very helpful as it allows me to work remotely when I need to concentrate on important tasks which have a tighter timeline, meaning I can engage with my team on more collaborative pieces in person at one of our many hubs or head office.

I feel more trusted to get the work done when I am allowed a flexible approach to where I work, and I feel that I contribute more meaningful work this way as I can focus on my own wellbeing too and work smarter for myself.

How do you live our company values (or any one of our values) in your day to day role?

(Our Values: Customer Focussed; One Group, one team; Accountable; Agile)

Being a part of a large team means we have to collaborate and ensure that we can share problems to draft quicker solutions, enabling us to thrive as ‘One Group, One Team’. We use an agile approach to how we work to ensure that we are focusing on value-adding work tasks and ensuring that we focus our energy on the most important and time-consuming pieces of work first before we focus on anything else.

What other elements of your in time Bank of Ireland have helped improve your experience?

(For example, Sports & Social, Employee Support Networks/Inclusion & Diversity, Graduate support, Employee Assistance Programme, Benefits, Supports etc).

I am the Shadow Co-Chair of the ‘BOI With Pride’ committee and that was great for getting to know more people outside of the Group Finance department. With the committee, I have helped to plan some events for the Bank, helped to raise money for charities like BelongTo, and produced a ‘How to be an Ally’ training pack for colleagues.

Elsewhere, I have also volunteered for Group Finance events, organised social outings for my team, and I am part of a Group Finance book club – there is always something to do around the Bank and it’s something I am delighted to be a part of!

Is there anything about working in Bank of Ireland that you think might surprise people who are considering applying?

I think the biggest surprise is the image I had of working in a bank before I joined Bank of Ireland being shattered – when I thought of a bank I imagined the classic view of people in suits, a very serious workplace, and a technologically-regressive environment. I was swiftly proven wrong!

Bank of Ireland is embracing technological advances and has an excellent technological transformation programme, there is a relaxed dress code for when you are not facing customers and clients, and (most importantly) everyone is kind and approachable!

What makes you proud to say you work with Bank of Ireland?

I think what makes me proud to work at Bank of Ireland is seeing the initiatives that the Bank does to improve the wider Irish society like the financial literacy programmes, the ‘Money Smarts’ challenge to teach secondary school students to be more empowered to make financial decisions, and most importantly for me is the ‘Begin Together’ fund which has helped countless individuals and groups to get access to funding to improve the lives of many across the country.

Anything else you would like to add?

I would add that anyone who wants to join Bank of Ireland should prepare to try to put themselves out there, socially speaking.

There are so many wonderful people all across the Bank who have great stories and can give you a fresh perspective on alternative career paths, and you never know when you may need a connection to help you in your career journey through mentoring and guidance.

Everyone starts at the same point when they begin their career, and the people of Bank of Ireland are a fantastic network to help you thrive in whatever field that you want to go into within banking, finance, and beyond!