Meet James Goodfellow
The Badenoch & Clark Rising Star 2008
Our 2008 winner was James Goodfellow, Global Network Management Team, Credit Suisse.
Not so long ago, 24 year old James Goodfellow was a Biology and Management student at Royal Holloway College, earning a little money on the side as a personal shopper for Sainsburys.
But the City held more allure than a career in either biology or retail, so James secured a three month internship with Credit Suisse – a company he’d only come across on the recommendation of a family friend.
It seems that he made the right move as he’s been named Badenoch & Clark Rising Star 2008 – an award recognising the increasing importance of Back and Middle office staff supporting the financial Services Industry.
…while I’m enjoying every minute of my career with Credit Suisse and have no plans to move, the award will be very nice to have on my CV.
James’ internship led to a role in the Global Network Management team. “It was a great introduction to Credit Suisse as I was working on account openings and relationship building. As well as getting to interact with the other groups within Credit Suisse, I also gained a terrific introduction to our Custodians – the likes of Citigroup and HSBC. “
James’ potential was recognised by his managers and he spent a year on Credit Suisse’s Leadership Ladder programme, working on projects across the investment banking side of the business. However, his loyalty to operations drew him back into Asset servicing in January 2007 taking on a challenging role which led to him managing the deployment of staff from the bank’s London to Singapore operations.
“The award was a complete surprise,” he said. “Once I found out I’d been shortlisted, it started getting serious, but I still didn’t think I’d win. It was quite nerve-wracking on the night, but my brother and some friends were there to support me and it felt brilliant to win. I’m very grateful to everyone who has supported me so far – the recognition’s lovely. And while I’m enjoying every minute of my career with Credit Suisse and have no plans to move, the award will be very nice to have on my CV.”
How is James making the most of his success?
How has the year been for you since winning the award?
I’ve had a great year since winning the award – it’s been a busy year and the volume of work has kept me busy – I’ve also taken on more responsibility which is great.
How has it impacted on your career?
It has really impacted my career – people frequently come up to me and ask about the Award, even now. I still get congratulations from people, even people I have never met in a professional capacity before, which means I have been exposed to a far greater number of people within the business. People have seemed to take a real interest in my career, and because we are a global organisation, I’ve even had recognition form offices as far a-field as Singapore!
Do people ask you about it?
All the time. Mainly to find out how to enter!
What benefits have you got by staying at the same company since winning the award?
Credit Suisse for me has been instrumental in building my experience because they invest heavily in staff. Technical as well as interpersonal skills are developed and they really help people with ability progress.
What challenges are you facing now, compared to when you won the award?
I’m facing some pretty drastic changes in the coming weeks as I am moving to Singapore in to the Credit Suisse office there. I’m really excited about it and looking forward to the new challenge. The fact that the Award was known to so many people in the company I think directly contributed to my new role.
How have your day to day priorities changed due to the state of the economy?
To be honest, I’ve seen little change in my position. I think there may well be a sense of stagnation in the market, but I am still as busy as I was before the downturn.
What advice would you give to anyone entering this year’s awards?
I think making sure you have good support from your manager is key. But also, if you’ve had a good year and you feel proud of your achievements, don’t be afraid to voice that. But mostly, I would say good luck to everyone!
