Meet Ambarish Phanse, Equity Derivatives Trader, Frankfurt

I seized the right opportunity.

In just one year, Ambarish moved from Barclays in Chennai to the London office and then to Barclays Europe in Frankfurt. What’s more, he moved from middle office to a front office role in Equity Derivatives, where he’s having a huge impact on the growth of this franchise. He’s a perfect example of how a person with the right skills and mindset can seize opportunities and quickly raise their profile within Barclays Europe.

Ambarish joined Barclays India in 2016, where his abilities in Quantitative Analysis saw him forge a career in Product Control Valuations. In this role, he developed a thorough understanding of Equity Derivatives and a wealth of knowledge that would prepare him for his next step.

After four years in this role, Ambarish was given an amazing opportunity: to move from middle office to front office – and to join Barclays Europe in Frankfurt. He says he was fully supported in applying for this new role, and talks about how his leader describes him as being “the right guy at the right time, who grabbed the right opportunity.” This kind of move, he says, was almost unheard of, and only possible because of his background in mathematics and quantitative analysis, on top of the knowledge of Equity Derivatives he’d already acquired.

I’m a numbers guy. I understand the models. So it was easy for me to come and talk to the traders. I’d been working on quantitative strategies before I joined Barclays, and I’d worked with sales and clients. All of that helped me fit nicely into this new role.

However, this new role as Equity Derivatives Trader for Barclays Europe was still six months away. First, Ambarish needed to work with traders in London to deepen his knowledge before spending time in Barclays Europe. There, he worked with traders to deepen his knowledge of how the whole business works; at the same time he acquired the necessary qualifications and regulatory approvals. Only then could he take up his exciting new role on the Equity Derivatives desk in Frankfurt.

This was not only a significant career move for Ambarish, it was also challenging for him to move from Chennai to London, and then to Frankfurt – and all within the space of a year.

This was the first time I’d left India, and when I landed in London it was a completely different atmosphere for me. I’d often imagined how it would feel on a large trading floor, and it was great to be among all these experienced traders, understanding how they work.

The move was ambitious, but Ambarish knew he had what it would take to succeed, and although he was apprehensive about moving to a new country where he didn’t fully know the language, he was confident he could adapt. Then, when he had been in Frankfurt only a short time, his senior manager took a new job, leaving Ambarish with sole responsibility for the whole Equity Derivatives franchise for Barclays Europe. This was an exciting opportunity, and he was well supported by his trader colleagues:

Each and every trader was ready to help. I know them all, and they’ll answer any question I may have. I’ve never experienced such good working relationships, and I feel lucky to have such a big and supportive team.

Ambarish talks about how he has experienced a big learning curve in this new role. He’s experienced a wide range of scenarios in the time he has been in Barclays Europe, including Covid and the expansion of the European trading platform:

I was the only person responsible for all these desks. I could see so many trades going through, and so many different types of structures being traded. I was part of all of this and it was a very big experience for me. It was fantastic.

Ambarish has been impressed by the culture at Barclays Europe. He talks to his colleagues in many different countries every day, and enjoys working with clients from all parts of Europe. He’s also enthusiastic about his leadership team, who he says are very visible, approachable and supportive.

Ambarish is confident about the future, which he sees as full of potential. The next step for his role will be to have the opportunity to truly manage his own risk which, he says, will be “a very big thing” for him. As the Equity Derivatives franchise continues to grow, he will grow with it.

Ambarish is clearly not a person to avoid a degree of risk, as his steep career trajectory has proven. He has taken every opportunity to become more visible within Barclays, to gain more exposure and experience. And he’s grateful to Barclays Europe for giving him the chance to show what he can do:

I was given this rare opportunity to move to a front office role, and I am now totally focused on supporting the business and my clients.