Meet Chetwood's graduate treasury and regulatory reporting analyst, Tarik Ali

We're welcoming graduates who want to make a positive impact for our customers by making financial services better and challenging conventions. With a graduate scheme designed around you – we understand your interests and the areas you're looking to develop so that we can identify the right projects for you to work on.

We recently spoke to Tarik Ali, our graduate treasury and regulatory reporting analyst, to find out more about his development journey with Chetwood and his advice for current and new graduates.

Tell us about yourself:

Hi, I'm Tarik. I joined Chetwood as a treasury and regulatory reporting analyst in 2021 after graduating from Lancaster University with a masters in Maths.

What brought you to Chetwood:

The main reason I wanted to work with Chetwood was because I liked the atmosphere and culture they've highlighted on their website, in addition to the opportunity to grow. Since Chetwood is a scale up company I've had the opportunity to be involved in all areas of treasury and regulatory reporting with more exposure than I would in a larger company. I’ve also been able to build my experience with other parts of the finance team, as well as teams like commercial and risk.

Describe Chetwood in three words:

I would describe Chetwood’s culture as fun and casual, but also hard working.

What is a typical working day for you at Chetwood?

What I love about my role is how varied it is, which stops it from being boring and repetitive, especially with all the projects finance and treasury are currently working on.

My main priorities include preparing and creating regulatory returns, reporting and managing liquidity. I also get involved with regular catch-ups with the rest of finance, where there’s always a good balance of social and work-related chat. There are days where I could be preparing and then presenting liquidity reports to the liquidity working group. Whatever I’m working on, I work collaboratively with my team, and get a lot of support as well as having independence to make my own decisions for the benefit of the company. And we have a lot of fun - that makes a big difference.

Could you tell us a bit about your development at Chetwood?

I've had an insane amount of personal and professional growth in the last 6 months that I've been with Chetwood. I’ve gone from knowing nothing about the financial sector where the most complex thing I could do in Excel was creating charts, to preparing the PowerPoint for the Asset and Liability Committee and presenting at the Liquidity Working Group, and automating processes with Visual Basic for Applications in Excel.

I've learned a lot about the technical areas of treasury from my team and managers, who all have extensive experience and knowledge. But, I've also learnt a lot about working in a professional environment as well. I've made mistakes, but my team leaders always make sure they guide me to the right action and how to prevent those mistakes from happening again.

I've also had the chance to network with other treasurers from all parts of the finance sector at the ALMA conference this January, which was really valuable.

What do you enjoy most about being a part of team Chetwood?

What I most enjoy about Chetwood is the people. Everyone is so friendly, and we get along well. In meetings, we always find time to have a laugh before getting on with work. I also really enjoy the social events Chetwood puts on for us, as it's allowed me to get to know people I wouldn’t normally get to interact with. This has given me a much greater understanding of how other parts of Chetwood function as well.

What's been your favourite project to work on so far?

There have been so many projects across finance and treasury that I have been involved in over the past 6 months. I think my favourite must be working with the liquidity working group and Asset and Liability Committee. It has allowed me to learn what information is relevant and important, and how liquidity management is carried out in a Bank.

What would you say to other grads who are looking for their next career move?

The main advice I would give is that the culture of where you work is extremely important. You want to be excited to go to work and get on with the people you work with. Making sure you find a company that makes you excited to go to work will have a great effect on not only your professional life but your personal life as well.

The Chetwood Financial Limited graduate scheme is now open for applications!

Want to check we're the right fit for you before you apply? We like your thinking! Sign up to our free virtual open day, run at 2-3.30pm on the 4th March - but be quick - tickets are limited!

Register for free at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-open-graduate-event-start-your-career-and-development-in-fintech-tickets-268795212717

Learning will be exponential and our graduates are supported every step of the way. You'll see the positive impact of your work on our customers.