Eleanor Flanagan, VP Wholesale Credit Risk

London, UK

Part-time netballer. Full-time news addict.

I’ve been with Barclays for six years, and in this time I’ve had all the support I needed to progress in my career – from internship to Vice President. That’s evidence that in Barclays Risk, talent, a willingness to learn and an appetite for hard work are all you need to do well. It’s a truly inclusive and diverse culture, where we appreciate each other’s skills and ideas, and in turn we’re valued and taken very seriously by the business. Whatever our level of role, we’re part of the wider conversation and that’s so important.

I was attracted to Risk because of the checking and balancing role we play in the overall banking landscape. I grew up through the financial crisis, and I realised that Risk was somewhere I could make a real difference. The way our work fits into the ongoing macro and geopolitical situation in the world is endlessly fascinating, and of course it’s endlessly varied. Look in any newspaper and you’ll see something happening in the world that my work must respond to. There’s no time to be bored, and every day presents a fresh intellectual challenge.

I love doing serious, meaningful work amongst a team of smart people who really know their stuff. But it’s more than that: we’re caring, friendly people who respect each other and enjoy our time together, and there’s plenty of socialising. I play weekly netball for Barclays, and there are a million other things you could get involved with – citizenship is very strong here.

We do work hard here, but we have our lives too. There are sometimes times when we need to work am little later, but I know that if I need a few hours to sort out my domestic arrangements I can do it. As long as we get the work done, we’re trusted to make our schedules work for us. It’s a grown up culture, and it’s very Barclays.