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Alan Duff, Institutional Equities
Lucia Raccone, Institutional Equities
Conor McCarthy, Corporate Finance
Shane Sorohan, Corporate Finance
Margaret Sobota, Client Services
Alan Duff, Institutional Equities
I joined NCB Stockbrokers back in 1992 as the Print Room Runner after working in the transport industry for two years. I had always wanted to get into the business from an early age and didn't care where I started - as long as I got my foot in the door I knew I would impress my superiors.
I knew that I wanted to learn more about the industry and after one year I started in Economic Research as support to the Economists. Very soon after this I was offered a role on the Equity Desk as NCB's Floor Trader. My role involved dealing in all Equities and Bonds for NCB's institutional and retail clients.
In 1997 I moved into Sales trading. My day basically involves matching up all NCB's buy and sell orders from our institutional client base. The team that I work with are all team players, we are all around the same age and as the old saying goes the team that works hard plays hard and we have great fun on a daily basis.
I have been given a great opportunity by NCB and the fact that I actually still own a part of the company that gave me this opportunity is mind blowing. It is a great place to work and I have worked with some fantastic people over the years most of whom are now great friends or clients of the firm.
Lucia Raccone, Institutional Equities
I am Italian but have lived in Ireland since 1992. I hold a BA degree in Economics from UCC and have worked at NCB since the beginning of 2002. On joining the company I worked as Equity Research support for the analyst team, providing desktop publishing assistance with their published research. But, after one year, I was appointed ESN database manager, which is my current title to date.
NCB is the Irish member of the European Securities Network (ESN), a partnership of eleven locally based European securities firms that pool their domestic research to form a common database of pan-European research covering over 800 stocks.
As ESN Database Manager my responsibilities include:
- Ensuring the integrity of data on companies under coverage
- Daily contact with analysts across Europe
- Managing the production of daily, weekly and monthly research products
- Liaison with service providers like Bloomberg, IBES, etc.
- Liaison with IT teams in NCB and other ESN partners
- Involvement in new product/project development
- Travel throughout Europe to meet the various research teams in their home locations
I most enjoy working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds across Europe as well as having the opportunity to travel. As main contact for this database system accessed by several users across 11 countries, it is essential to have clear communication skills, to be able to work on your own initiative and to discuss, develop and implement ideas for improving the database system, whose requests/demands as well as number of users has evolved greatly.
Project management is a big part of this job and has delivered impressive results, which in turn has established ESN as a highly recognized research network, whose brand is now well recognized by the institutional investment community.
The work environment at NCB is both very professional and friendly, where everyone is always ready to help you and approachable, no matter how senior they are.
Conor McCarthy, Corporate Finance
I joined NCB Corporate Finance in 2002 when I moved back from London. I had worked there for 5 years with an Investment Bank on cross border M&A transactions. Before that I had previously qualified with PwC in Ireland.
My role as a Director in Corporate Finance involves working with public and private clients on evaluating and executing sales or acquisitions of businesses. I would also manage both equity and debt fund raisings for corporate clients. The work ranges from initial marketing of ideas to existing and new clients, based both in Ireland and internationally, to the negotiation and execution of all aspects of the deal. This includes working with purchasers and vendors, other investment banks, debt and equity providers, accounting / legal firms and hopefully PR firms, if we get that far. The work crosses all industry sectors making every project a new and interesting challenge.
All in all, the experience to date with NCB has been excellent and the contacts and relationships I have developed with some of the leading corporates in Ireland will hopefully stand to me throughout the rest of my career.
Shane Sorohan, Corporate Finance
I joined NCB Corporate Finance in February 2005 having graduated from UCD with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business with an MBS in Financial Services.
In the last year and a half the experience that I have gained has been incredible. NCB has provided me with guidance and support which has been carefully balanced with space to work independently and to develop my own skills - the perfect environment in which to learn and grow.
As well as on the job training, I have also been afforded the opportunity to attend financial courses in Ireland and the UK. The wealth of knowledge and experience across the department is quite exceptional and everyone's willingness to provide a helping hand ensures that there's a great atmosphere in the office.
Whether researching new markets or industries, preparing financial models, performing due diligence on a company, or meeting existing / potential clients, one thing is for sure, life in NCB Corporate Finance is not repetitive. Today you could be briefing potential investors on a new fund, tomorrow you could be advising your client on its latest acquisition. Part of the charm is not knowing what the next day will bring!
Margaret Sobota, Client Services
My name is Margaret Sobota, and I come from Poland. In Poland I achieved a Masters Degree in Food Engineering, in the Argricultural University in Lublin.
I moved to Ireland in August 2005 and have been studying English since then. I began working with NCB Stockbrokers in March 2006 in the Client Services Department, on the equity settlements team. In that time I have learnt a lot about the stockbroking industry, and very much enjoy working here. I work on a busy team and cover all aspects of settling the high volume of foreign trades which are executed daily.
I appreciate the opportunity which NCB has afforded me to work with a team of professional and experienced individuals, which allows me to further my career in stockbroking.
