Patrick O'Brien
South Woodham Ferrers,Essex
Summary
Dynamic and results-driven banking professional with 25 years of experience across retail banking and corporate banking in Compliance, management, relationship, and sales roles. For the last 4 years I have specialized in Anti-Money Laundering (AML). Ensuring compliance with complex regulatory requirements, and mitigating financial crime risks across Business banking. An analytical thinker with a proactive approach, I excel at identifying vulnerabilities, streamlining processes, and cultivating a culture of compliance. Committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards, I am seeking a role where I can leverage my current AML expertise and experience in the financial services industry to drive operational excellence and protect organizational reputation.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
11
11
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Senior KYC Analyst
Barclays Bank PLC
07.2021 - Current
- Hybrid working
- Initially joining a newly formed department to expand my skill set and contribute to the fast-growing field of AML/KYC, I have since become a trusted senior team member
- My role includes managing the most complex cases within Barclays Business UK, providing mentorship and training to junior staff, and driving excellence across the team
- I have played a pivotal role in developing and implementing new bank policies to ensure alignment with ever-changing regulations and industry demands
- Committed to upholding compliance and mitigating financial crime risks, I bring both a strategic vision and hands-on expertise to every challenge.
Business Manager AVP
Barclays Bank PLC, Ilford
East London
09.2010 - 07.2021
- Starting as a Transitional Manager, I oversaw a portfolio of approximately 300 corporate clients at Barclays Corporate, developing my expertise in client management and financial solutions
- In 2011, I transitioned into the role of Business Manager at Barclays' prestigious Ilford flagship branch, managing a portfolio of over 250 SME clients with turnovers ranging from £1,000,000 to £5,000,000
- My responsibilities spanned general banking needs, complex lending deals, client onboarding, and facilitating international trade
- Key Achievements
- Named Business Manager of the Year in the Romford team for consecutive years (2012 & 2013) and honoured with a recognition lunch at Barclays' head office for exceptional customer service based on customer surveys
- Consistently exceeded lending targets by authorizing over £1 million annually for five consecutive years, earning the rare "Highly Skilled" Lending status in 2016 based on outstanding feedback from credit teams
- Leadership and Community Engagement:
- Delivered a business planning presentation at Caterham High School (2013), fostering financial literacy among students
- Organized and led numerous networking events focusing on digital solutions, buy-to-let properties, and lending strategies
- Client-Centric Excellence: Maintained exceptional client satisfaction by providing tailored financial solutions to SMEs and fostering long-term relationships.
Mortgage Adviser
Barclays Bank PLC, Woolwich
East London
04.2006 - 09.2010
- As a Woolwich Mortgage Adviser with regulated mortgage adviser status, I was responsible for assisting new and existing customers across the London and East London branch network
- This also included working with Premier Banking clients as well as Barclays Business & Corporate customers
- I acted as Deputy to my Line Manager, overseeing a team of eight mortgage advisers, and stepped into his role during his absence
- This involved regular interaction with senior management, attending conferences, delivering presentations to both staff and clients, and working toward personal targets
- My day-to-day responsibilities included:
- Conducting mortgage sales interviews, offering regulated mortgages, life insurance, and general insurance
- Promoting the Woolwich brand internally and externally through training, coaching, and influencing
- Operating under pressure to meet strict targets and deadlines
- Ranked as the highest-performing mortgage adviser in the East London team in 2008, with completed mortgage sales totalling £17,000,000
- Organized and presented at customer seminars, such as an evening event on the Buy to Let proposition in Whitechapel, which generated £1,000,000 in mortgage business
- Became the first mortgage adviser nationally to work with a Local Business team (Hatton, City, and Docklands), successfully establishing relationships with 15 Business Managers
- Named "Top Specialist in East London" in 2009
- Achieved the top sales adviser position in the East London team in 2009
- Won a gold award for securing second place overall in the London regional sales team.
Branch Manager
Britannia Building Society
Ilford
04.2004 - 04.2006
- I began as Assistant Manager before assuming the role of Branch Manager in August 2004
- While my responsibilities mirrored those of my previous role with Bradford & Bingley, I embraced several additional duties, further enhancing my scope of work
- These included:
- Conducting mortgage sales interviews to offer regulated mortgages, life insurance, general insurance, credit cards, and personal loans
- Managing and mentoring a Mortgage Adviser under the society's training and competency scheme as a regulated Supervisor
- Leading the branch to exceed 100% of targets across all three key areas—Savings, Investments, and Mortgages—in 2005
- This achievement positioned our branch second in the regional league and 51st nationally out of more than 350 branches, marking its highest-ever ranking.
Retail Bank Manager
Bradford & Bingley
Harrow
04.2003 - 04.2004
- I transitioned to Bradford & Bingley to enhance my managerial skills and embrace a more challenging role in a face-to-face environment
- Key responsibilities included:
- Leading, motivating, and supporting a team of five to achieve individual and branch targets
- Conducting daily and weekly team training sessions, as well as one-to-one meetings to ensure development and performance
- Providing excellent customer service by advising, serving, and selling a range of products and services
- Reviewing and improving processes to enhance business conversion rates and create additional time for staff to focus on generating revenue
- Planning and coordinating promotional events, such as telesales evenings, to drive business growth
- Ensuring the smooth operation of the branch, including managing stationery, cash orders, and other essential resources
- Overseeing staff recruitment, working with public recruitment agencies, and conducting internal hiring processes
- Managing and resolving customer complaints to maintain satisfaction and trust
- Developing business plans and projections to guide the branch's strategic direction.
Call Centre Team Leader/Manager
Charcolonline, John Charcol
London
01.2000 - 04.2003
- I began my role at John Charcol as part of a project team, where I played a key role in the development and implementation of the company's new call centre
- My responsibilities included:
- Collaborating with senior management to test, modify, and roll out the new system across twelve branches
- Leading a team to maintain the system's operational capabilities
- Producing weekly and monthly reports for use across the company
- Following my promotion, I assumed leadership of the call centre, managing a team of 7 to 10 operators
- In addition to my earlier responsibilities, I oversa
- Monitoring team performance, including their daily activities, project work, call handling, and email correspondence with clients
- Preparing team bonuses through performance tracking, quality control, and compliance with financial regulations
- Analysing data for bonus allocation and ensuring accuracy
- Charcolonline focused on handling telephony and website inquiries for investment and mortgage services
- We also supported major ISPs, including Microsoft and AOL, as well as high-profile partnerships with Tesco, Citibank, The Daily Telegraph, and Bradford & Bingley Marketplace
- In this capacity, my key duties included:
- Recruiting staff to ensure the call centre was effectively resourced
- Producing management information to facilitate business decisions
- Collaborating with Consultants/Brokers, CSA's, Sales Directors and Managers, Web Developers, IT teams, Marketing teams, Business Analysts, and Strategic Sales personnel
- Training new employees on Charcolonline's in-house systems and general applications such as Outlook and Word
- Creating and implementing new processes to enhance customer service delivery.
Supervisor/Bar Tender
Royal Albert Hall
Easter, London
04.1997 - 01.1998
- I managed bar and catering facilities at the Royal Albert Hall for Letherby & Christopher Catering Company
- Starting in a bar staff role, I progressed to a supervisory position, where my responsibilities included:
- Overseeing the re-stocking, re-ordering, and overall maintenance of all the venue's bars
- Addressing customer issues, resolving problems, and managing general operational challenges.
Football Coach
Epping Forrest Country Club
04.1995
- I was employed by Whizz Kids Teaching Company, where I was responsible for the training and supervision of large classes of children aged 6 to 16 years.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - History
University of Southampton
Southampton 09.1996 - 05.1999
Canon Palmer Catholic School
London 09.1987 - 05.1996
Skills
- My current skills are as follows
- Anti-Money laundering acumen
- Strategic decision-making capacity
- Process optimization
- Risk evaluation techniques
- Communication skills
- I am proficient in all Microsoft applications as well as social media platforms
- My experience includes working with a variety of banking systems, such as CRM, Sales and processing platforms, and a wide range of banking systems—spanning client databases, transactional systems, and customer-facing platforms
- I have acquired the following qualifications via my banking career
- Certificate in Mortgage advice and practice (CEMAP) 1, 2 and 3
- Credit skills development (CSD) which is a commercial lending qualification via LIBF
- ICA International advanced certificate in AML (Distinction)
Affiliations
- Football
- Music
- Walking
- Computing and Online gaming
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Senior KYC Analyst
Barclays Bank PLC
07.2021 - Current
Business Manager AVP
Barclays Bank PLC, Ilford
09.2010 - 07.2021
Mortgage Adviser
Barclays Bank PLC, Woolwich
04.2006 - 09.2010
Branch Manager
Britannia Building Society
04.2004 - 04.2006
Retail Bank Manager
Bradford & Bingley
04.2003 - 04.2004
Call Centre Team Leader/Manager
Charcolonline, John Charcol
01.2000 - 04.2003
Supervisor/Bar Tender
Royal Albert Hall
04.1997 - 01.1998
Bachelor of Arts - History
University of Southampton
09.1996 - 05.1999
Football Coach
Epping Forrest Country Club
04.1995
Canon Palmer Catholic School
09.1987 - 05.1996
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