Noel studied international business at Maastricht University in Holland – a course which combined both an undergraduate and a master's degree. He joined BNP Paribas' Paris office as a credit analyst in 2005.
How did you get to where you are today?
After joining as a graduate I worked as a credit analyst for 18 months in BNP Paribas' Amsterdam office. There I learned the basics of corporate banking – what makes a dangerous credit profile or why a company might be cash-generative, which are risky and which are defensive sectors, etc. These are all essential skills before you can move to the front office. After that I applied for a relationship manager role in London and was lucky enough to get it.
What are the three main elements of your job?
Externally, I deal with established clients, who we've already lent to in the past, and look to develop the bank's relationship with them and identify new opportunities to cross-sell our products. Internally, I also manage the credit process for these clients, taking the data provided by the credit analysts and presenting to our risk team so they can make a decision whether to approve or reject an application. There's also a fair bit of admin work – refreshing client details, writing updates on particular companies and the like.
Why are you good at it?
I'm proactive, which is essential in this job. It's ultimately up to you to identify new opportunities for clients, which involves constantly keeping up-to-date with changes in the markets to see what they might need down the line. The products suited to today's market are completely different from two years ago.
Presumably, people skills are also important?
Absolutely. You need to be diplomatic and maintain open channels of communication with the client so there are no surprises if, for example, we have to decline a particular request for credit. Ultimately, I have to balance defending the bank's interest with maintaining a long-term relationship with a client. A particular transaction might not work out, but you need to keep the door open.
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