Micaela, Assistant Vice President, Operational Risk

Hear how Risk is an exciting place to work to drive organisational change

I first joined Barclays as an Intern in HR, but I realised early on it wasn’t for me. After many conversations, I decided I wanted to join Risk and started the graduate programme in 2019.

In June 2021 I took a permanent role in the Strategy and Governance team in Operational Risk, which was the area I loved on the graduate programme. Everyone was really engaged and approachable; I got lots of exposure to the business and was able to take ownership of projects. You get so much generalist experience here, because we sit over all the Operational Risk teams and keep everything running smoothly.

We’ve taken huge strides and I’m proud to be able to influence the direction we’re going in.

Operational Risk is going through a period of change and we have to make sure the correct expertise and resources are being applied. I’m supporting the governance around these changes, and challenging how things can be done better, including revising the team’s Competency Framework, planning where we need to increase skills and helping colleagues work on their own career progression.

At Barclays, you drive your own career but you’re given the resources and support to succeed. My main focus is on making sure I work for the right people. My Line Manager is really inspiring – I believe she’s one of the youngest Directors in Risk. She’s the kind of person I aspire to becoming, and I feel empowered to get there.

Risk is a very diverse environment, and very inclusive. We have a Risk Diversity and Inclusion network, and I’m a member of the Risk Multicultural Network, where we talk about ways to increase D&I, bank-wide, and we’ve taken some very positive steps. For a long time, the conversation was focused on gender, but since Black Lives Matter we’ve been talking a lot more about race. Our Race at Work Charter gives us a clear way forward and we’re hiring a lot more diverse talent in Risk which is very positive.