Barry Williamson

Head of Business Development, Commercial Banking, Coutts

I previously worked within the RBS Group in Corporate and Commercial Banking and moved to Coutts to this new role about two years ago. I am based in the Strand in London. In November 2004, I was tasked with establishing a new commercial business development team in Coutts, which was a great opportunity. Our unit went live on 1^st January 2005 and we have enjoyed great success since then.

What is a typical day like in your office?

Typically I spend my day supporting my team in their day to day role, discussing structures of deals with them, accompanying them to client meetings and providing support at credit committee as the head of the unit. I do get involved in some client meetings myself. Business referrals we receive are split into external and internal and I maintain the dialogue with our key business intermediaries as well our internal business network and encourage my team to maintain these relationships, promoting the commercial team where ever possible. 

What do you like most about working for Coutts?

There are several aspects of working for Coutts that I enjoy.

The Coutts Brand is a great brand and we get really good support from other business units in Coutts such as Marketing for example. We host brilliant hospitality events and the Strand is an impressive building both for clients and employees and whilst we always offer to go out and see clients, a lot of them want to come in to experience our environment.

Team spirit is great here and I get a lot of support from my line manager and my peers. We get to meet lots of different people in this business which is very enjoyable. Coutts is quite a sociable place to work. I enjoy the thrill of the chase in my role and the satisfaction of my team being successful providing great solutions and service to clients and making a worthy contribution to the bank’s income.