Simon Mahoney

As Regional Operations Manager, I was responsible for managing operational risk-related matters for the regional branch network and contributing to the National Risk Committee, focusing on money laundering and financial crime issues. Key achievements and responsibilities included:
• Ensured KPI compliance with regulatory requirements across the region and conducted branch audits to guarantee audit readiness.
• Played a key role in establishing telephony banking nationwide, addressing all risk elements and overseeing necessary training.
• Oversaw the management of safe custody boxes and adherence to KYC regulatory requirements, completing annual audits timely and supporting regional branches with second-level dispensations.
• Managed small business account opening processes and mandatory reviews, while supervising Quality Assurance to ensure correct product sales, fair customer treatment, and identification and support of vulnerable customers.
• Reported monthly to the national operations team on regulatory compliance and KPIs, identifying potential issues and monitoring telephony operations to address call avoidance and call dropping, ensuring high customer service standards.
• Conducted regional investigations on colleague behaviour and operational matters, organised and led academies for succession planning, and supported new acquisitions by liaising with third-party vendors to resolve branch premises and hardware/software issues in line with SLAs.
• Allocated and reviewed budgets for the region, reporting monthly on financial performance to the Head of Region, and supported the branch closure program by ensuring all necessary controls and checks were completed.
• Convened monthly meetings with Area Operations Managers to discuss performance, risks, and issues.

Ensured operational compliance and audit readiness across all branches in the Area, while managing correct resourcing and completion of necessary training.

Managed and monitored operational budgets for multiple areas, ensuring compliance and cost-efficiency. Conducted regular support visits to ensure branch compliance with health and safety standards and adherence to proper procedures. Established accountability by verifying colleagues' adherence to role-specific processes.

Conducted monthly meetings with operational team to address performance and identify potential risk issues, providing necessary support and actions for colleagues.

Spearheaded the management of large town center branches across various locations including Watford, Milton Keynes, Northampton,Dunstable,and Hemel Hempstead with a team size of about 30 FTE.

Streamlined financial oversight through budget management and monitoring of Key Performance Indicators covering performance targets, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and staff productivity.

Responsible for a portfolio of 400 high value customers building and maintaining a relationship and supporting them through their financial needs.

Successfully hit KPI's by meeting both performance and service targets, while adhering to compliance regulations for selling lending and mortgage solutions.

Responsible for loan and overdraft agreement, repayment assurance, and necessary actions. Successfully managed daily refer list for customers with excessive borrowings. Ensured accurate completion of security measures for secured borrowing.

Processed and reconciled customer entries, ensuring accuracy. Balanced tills and verified customer identification to maintain cash handling integrity.

Processed customer currency requests, serviced foreign currency accounts, and negotiated bills of exchange.