Meet David Shields

Q&A

What does a Risk Management & Policy Administrator do?

My role is primarily an oversight role to ensure that our customer accounts are managed within our policies and procedures and that there are no unusual activities or transactions on customer accounts. This involves reviewing various reports and any alerts on our New Account monitoring platform for any trends or anomalies.

The work carried out by the Risk & Compliance team provides that additional level of assurance and confidence to our customers that their accounts are being managed to the highest possible standard. My role also entails reviewing Regulatory developments and getting involved in Risk based assignments that adds variety and challenge to the role such as writing a proposal paper for a new initiative, reviewing our policies in line with Regulatory developments and analysing reports to identify trends.

Talk us through a typical working day?

My day has a certain degree of structure in that I complete my suite of Management Information reports for various stakeholders and Committees within the Society that look at customer trends and aligns what we do with Key Performance Indicators. Following that, I prioritise updating Credit Risk reports as these follow certain mortgages through the application and approval process and are time sensitive.

Outside of my daily routine, I also try to give myself time to suggest new ideas or initiatives to help the team and the Society where possible, ably supported by my Manager, and provide procedural advice to colleagues across the business. We meet regularly as a team and in cross-functional working groups to deep dive into the risk controls that protect our customers and affect the wider business.

What's your favourite part of the job?

That’s easy. The people I work with within my department. They are all very dedicated and knowledgeable and as a team, we work through various risk scenarios and bring our individual contributions and experiences together to reach consensus on the best way forward. Our start and end point are always what is the best outcome for our customer. Having colleagues that you can rely on for their knowledge and support makes all the difference. I also love the ease of interaction across the Society at all levels including with our Chief Executive.

Did you always want to work in a Risk Management role?

When I started out in my Banking career, I certainly didn’t think of risk management as an option as I didn’t know what it involved back then. However, as my career progressed and I performed distinct roles and took on additional responsibilities, I began to understand the importance of risk identification and risk management and the role that it plays in protecting customer interests.

The roles I performed prior to joining the Society provided me with the knowledge, insight and experience to perform my current role. A Risk Management career in Progressive brings you into contact with staff from across all teams and you get to know how the business operates and the role that a strong risk management framework has in ensuring that customer needs are central to decisions made.

What qualifications do you have?

On leaving Bangor Grammar School after ‘O’ Level, I went straight into a career in Banking. In the early part of my career, I completed both the Banking Certificate & the Lending to Small Business Certificate and on subsequently moving into management, I obtained a Management Diploma from Queens University, Belfast. I firmly believe in taking personal ownership for your own development to help drive forward your career.

What are your future career plans?

I hope to continue being involved in decisions that make a real difference to our customers lives and undertaking further specialised risk assignments that enable me to work across all parts of the Society as the Regulatory landscape continues to evolve. I enjoy the freedom to express my ideas and opinions openly within the Risk & Compliance team and across the Society in general.

What skills are required for you to do your job well?

Attention to detail which is important in any risk or compliance role. Also, the ability to evolve and be adaptable in an ever-changing regulatory environment. This is critical as the Regulator is becoming more data-focused and the Society needs to look at initiatives that meet and exceed their expectations.

Also, being approachable to enable the staff within the Society feel confident that they can discuss issues or concerns and know that they will be supported by their Risk and Compliance colleagues to reach an outcome or decision that best meets the needs of our customers and the requirements of the Regulator.

If you could go back in time, would you choose the same career path?

Definitely, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working in banking and finance and have been able to take that experience and apply it within a building society environment on joining Progressive later in my career. Within Progressive, I enjoy the satisfaction of working for a highly customer centric mutual where customer needs are central to decisions made.

What advice would you give someone coming into the profession today?

It’s all about the relationships you have with people and the trust that you build through those relationships that makes work enjoyable. I am fortunate throughout my career to have worked with great colleagues, but you also need a personal desire to succeed and drive your career forward.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I enjoy reading, DIY, golf, and these days watching hockey! However, these have now taken a backseat to playing with my grandson Marc - provided my wife hasn’t taken him out for the day!

Sum up your attitude to life in a few words?

Look after my family, enjoy the time spent with friends, make the most of opportunities afforded to me and try to keep a smile on my face.