Consultant of the Month – December 2018

Zoe Bromfield (UK)
Project Management Officer at HSBC
University of Leeds: Spanish and Philosophy

I joined FDM because I saw it as a fantastic door opener to the corporate world. I started my training with FDM in April 2017 and was given my first placement in June. I spent four months on-site with Barclays before receiving a new placement with HSBC in October 2017, where I have been ever since.

I have been fortunate enough to become involved with a large-scale operating model design programme where I am responsible for facilitating meetings between stakeholders and creating key materials for workshops. I have really enjoyed this additional level of responsibility and hope to continue developing and honing these skills into 2019 and beyond.

All I can say is that I’m incredibly honoured to have been selected for this award and would recommend FDM to anyone who is ambitious but unsure of what career direction they want to take. This is because FDM allows individuals to explore various business and technical pathways, working in both the private and public sector for global organisations. I feel FDM creates an environment where ambitious and hardworking individuals are encouraged to flourish and build prosperous careers for themselves.

 “Zoe has made a real contribution to HSBC. Her deliverables are always to an impeccable standard. One of the phenomenal pieces of work Zoe contributed significantly to was the Core Banking Architecture Strategy. She worked directly with the OSS Technology Chief Architect to define the strategy and communicate it effectively on paper. This was then presented at a variety of senior forums.

 Zoe has consistently received excellent feedback from my colleagues within the senior leadership team. Her presentations have been discussed and signed off by the absolute top leadership of HSBC. It’s extremely rare for somebody as junior as Zoe to have this opportunity, however, she has excelled and fulfilled my belief in her. Not only has she made a real difference across OSS Technology but she is always friendly, helpful and eager to please. She’s a pleasure to have around the office and a real credit to FDM. I constantly receive fantastic feedback on her and really hope that she’ll remain in my team for the foreseeable future.”

 –Head of Transformation & Strategy for OSS Technology at HSBC

Daniel Yong (AUS) 
Business Analyst at HSBC Australia
Macquarie University: Software Technology

I decided to join FDM in order to gain the opportunity to work for internationally recognized organisations. The best thing about my time training with FDM was the people I got to interact with daily. FDMers know how to work and play! The culture at FDM combines hard work and enjoyment whilst consultants are on the road to success. The Academy was an enjoyable experience where I learned industry skills alongside my peers.

Once on-site with HSBC, I jumped straight into an eye-opening experience that kick started my career. I’d recommend FDM to anyone looking to get in touch with industry leaders, meet wonderful people from all areas of the world, and learn relevant skills.

Zain Abbas (UK)
Junior Software Developer at Companies House
Queen Mary, University of London: Computer Science

I have been with FDM for just over a year, and I am currently involved with the EU-Exit project in my current placement. My tasks include preparing Companies House for the Brexit deal by developing software solutions to the internal system, based on the outcome of the UK exiting the EU. Participating in a project that dominates the headlines and has an immense impact on the country has been the highlight of my time here so far.

Experiencing ‘Scrum’ for the first time gave me a real sense of responsibility as I made presentations to stakeholders, lead scrum events and played an active role within the team, working far beyond my remit as a junior developer. It feels great to be appreciated by both the client and FDM, knowing that the time and effort I put into my work doesn’t go unnoticed.

This award will serve as further encouragement as I continue to push my limits as a developer and prove myself as an outstanding ambassador for FDM. Their extensive professional network and case-studies of previous graduates going on to be successful was what influenced me to begin my career in IT with FDM. The culture at FDM encourages consultants to take the next step forward in their career, focusing on core skills sought for by clients rather than an abstract skill-set that is of no direct benefit. FDM is a great company to bridge the gap between university and the working world, emphasising professionalism, inclusivity and ambition within its consultants, which are traits I’ve found to be much respected at Companies House.

“Zain has worked on a complex business improvements backlog based around fulfilling a wide variety of individual change requests on an internal legacy system, along with a time sensitive legislative project. Both projects have provided several challenges. Zain regularly undertook a significant amount of analysis to understand and deliver the different strands of work. He not only achieved this, which was a difficult task for somebody so early in their career, but his output during this period was above that of a senior developer working in the team.

 Zain’s efforts have been crucial in both keeping the team delivering and helping new joiners with their onboarding. He has performed over and above his relative inexperience as a graduate with just over six months on-site, demonstrating the quality of FDM consultants, which has been commended by internal members of staff. It has demonstrated the quality of training provided by FDM and the capability of the individuals. His performance has been excellent throughout his time on-site, but particularly during the last month, typified by his professional and diligent attitude, which is worthy of recognition.”

 – Scrum Master at Companies House

Jisu Kim (US)
Application Developer at Brown Brothers Harriman
University of Virginia: Mathematics and Computer Science

 I’ve been with FDM since June of 2017. I mainly joined to gain experience, but I also found an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone in terms of job location and available opportunities. My job with BBH in the Foreign Exchange Department requires a lot of learning and independence, but there are plenty of people who are ready to assist if I’m ever confused. This allows me to grow and be confident in my work.

I would like to thank FDM for the recognition of this award, and also for the platform for US consultants and employees to support each other and acknowledge our accomplishments. During my time with FDM, I discovered their supportive and friendly work environment. There is always someone you can reach out to if you have questions about work, relocating, logistics, etc. As a result, I think the best part of FDM is definitely the people that make up this organization. I’ve met incredible trainers who have provided my classes with opportunities to grow and learn from their experiences. They taught us how to work and learn alongside our peers. I would highly recommend FDM, especially for those looking to gain more experience in financial technology. It is also a great opportunity to easily gain a lot of information in a short amount of time and meet a lot of great people.

“Jisu has been the sole participant of a project to reduce the end of day run times of our Foreign Exchange batch processing. That project went live on time and with no issues. The effort reduced run times of the end of day processing to the required SLA of 30 minutes, thus allowing the Asia trading shift to start trading activities on time. Jisu had to learn the entire end of day processing flow and understand all its parts, each parts’ predecessors and successors, and make changes to the end of day processing flow to reduce its run time.  Jisu had to work with a number of folks such as our Database Administrators, a software vendor, and other developers to complete this effort. FDM provided a competent candidate who is able to learn quickly and become a contributing member of the team. Jisu took on a stretch goal, successfully completed it on time and with no issues, which resulted in a material benefit to the firm.”

-Vice President, Brown Brothers Harriman

Rhodri Evans (UK)
Application Support Analyst at Virgin Money
University of Chester: Mathematics

I started FDM in the summer of 2017 and began my placement at Virgin Money in October 2017. I was immediately introduced to the large community of other FDMers working here at Virgin Money; from my first day I felt welcome. I was assigned to several different projects from the start, which was great as it allowed me to meet many people and make connections instantly.

I feel very honoured for the nomination from my team lead and department head, it came as a great shock. A big thank you goes to them both, and I’d also like to give special recognition to my team at Virgin Money, as without them I would not have gained the skills I have now. When initially looking for a graduate scheme I was a bit lost, but after looking into FDM I discovered the possibilities they have and the long list of training opportunities – it would have been a mistake to turn it down! The culture at FDM is very supportive. The frequent visits from my Account Manager assures me that we are not forgotten about once on-site.

I would 100% recommend FDM; since sending my application off to renew my contact for a second year on-site, I have not had a second thought. From the intensive training courses and certifications to the culture itself, FDM is truly unique; there aren’t many graduate schemes out there with such high-profile clients. If you want to make great connections, learn valuable IT and business skills and make a load of friends along the way, FDM is the choice to make!

Maryam Adeyemo (CA) 
Change and Release Manager at CIBC
University of Calgary: Electrical Engineering

A classmate recommended FDM to me, and after I looked into the company, I decided it would be a great place to get ample training and a head-start in my career. I have now been with FDM for 24 months and onsite with CIBC for 21 of those months. My experience at CIBC has been a smooth learning curve, where I have grown successful in a role that is essential to the operation of a bank. My manager and team members have helped me accomplish this and I truly appreciate their support.

I have been privileged to receive three Team Achievers’ awards from CIBC, which my manager says is very rare. I look forward to continued growth and professional opportunities at CIBC. I am so thankful to have a manager who supports my career advancement, and my family who support me in all other aspects.

The best thing so far about my time with FDM is being placed in a company where my knowledge and proficiency are being used and recognized. FDM has a ‘cushion’ culture, meaning you get support from different levels, including upper management, HR, Consultant support and fellow consultants. You don’t have to look too far to get the answers to your questions. I would recommend FDM to any new graduate who is looking to kick-start their career in the technology industry. Thank you to FDM for creating an avenue like this to recognize consultants and their hard work!

“Maryam was called upon to take on a leadership role by organizing the team and material to prepare a Disaster Recovery Exercise. She needed to ensure multiple teams could work successfully together, organize the deployment to UAT, learn from any mistakes, and then plan for successful deployment to production. Requirements of this role include being well organised, a strong planner, and having the ability to both prioritize and multi-task. Having seen many first-time exercises fail and require a second or third attempt, this was a rare accomplishment.

 Maryam is a quick learner who is respected, appreciated and well suited to this role. She has clearly displayed the quality of service that FDM provides through her learning ability, accountability and enthusiasm. Maryam has delivered what is required repeatedly throughout her yearlong placement. She no longer needs supervision and I can rest assured that any necessary changes will be correctly made.  Maryam is most deserving and is a great representative for FDM, and deserves this acknowledgement.”

 -Senior IT Manager at CIBC

If you’re ready to jump-start your career as a business or IT consultant, apply to join FDM today.

Read about past Consultant of Month winners below:

• Consultant of the Month – November 2018
• Consultant of the Month – October 2018
• Consultant of the Month – September 2018