Voice of Experience: Barbara-Ann King, Head of Investments, Barclays Stockbrokers

By Elizabeth Harrin (London)

Barbara-Ann King is not your stereotypical stockbroker. In May this year she will be jumping out of a plane to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. “I am a great believer in giving things a try, because if it does not work out you can try something else,” she says, “and I believe that leadership, or the best leaders, are those who are willing to go outside their comfort zone.”

King took another leap over ten years ago, when she moved from a legal and management consultancy career to alternative investment management. It turned out to be a shrewd move, as she has risen through the financial services ranks to become Head of Investments at Barclays Stockbrokers. However, it wasn’t a structured step on her career journey. “To be honest there was no master plan, it just happened,” she explains. “I was working on a project that involved private equity and got head hunted by a bank for a role that I had no interest in, fed this back and was then asked to consider another role in the start up of a ‘new’ department of alternative investments – the industry was not even called that at the time, it was called ‘special funds’.”

King liked the team at Citigroup and sees herself as a natural entrepreneur and ‘builder’ so she gave the role at serious consideration – and took it. “It sounded fun so I took a leap of faith,” she says. “It turned into a multi billion revenue business and with it I moved to New York and took a global senior management role.”

After six years at Citigroup, King joined Barclays as Head of Alternative Product for the Barclays Wealth Investment and Product Office before moving to Barclays Stockbrokers, the UK’s leading stockbroker. In her current role, King is not a stockbroker in the traditional sense of someone who trades stocks all day. “My team deals with research, manage an eCommerce platform and develop thoughts on investment strategy and engage ground breaking marketing techniques for over 350,000 clients,” she explains. King is also the only woman to have a seat on the Barclays Stockbrokers Executive Committee. “I got that through sheer performance and hard work,” she adds, “but I am very appreciative that I have a supportive group of peers and a boss who believes that having a woman on board balances the dynamic! Our overall management ethos values differences and balance as a critical part of our success.”

Satisfaction Found in Helping Others Grow

Despite being the most senior woman at Barclays Stockbrokers, King is modest about her achievements, saying that her career highlights are seeing one of her team get a promotion, move to anther role and be successful. “For any manager that has to be a highlight every time,” she says. “There is great satisfaction in knowing you have contributed to someone’s growth.” King has, however, been rewarded for her own personal contributions to the industry: last year she was a winner of Barclays Group Women of The Year for her achievement in her professional field and her contribution to the broader Barclays Group. She also won the 2009 Women in the City Financial Services Award.

King has seen some changes over her time in financial services, with men and women moving on and growing into new roles. “More women are definitely moving into what were traditionally seen as ‘boys’ roles’ of investments, and the current environment has been truly fantastic for showcasing how women’s approaches to the arena can help in turbulent times,” she explains. “It has been one of the rainbows amidst some stormy clouds of the last 18 months in the industry.”

There is still plenty of scope for women to join stockbroking firms or the field of alternative investment. “Do your homework; make sure you are passionate about the markets and the changing world of finance in our e-age,” King advises. “Investigate all of the roles – there are many, and get some advice on how to best match your skill set as well as new skills to develop.”

King believes that portfolio management and investment roles typically also work with markets. This means they can be good opportunities for women who need to manage their work-life balance. “Women are often still typically the primary carer in the family dynamic,” King says. “Be prepared to work hard and be realistic about ‘balance’ and how to approach it.”

Mentoring – With Men

Last year King took on additional responsibilities – the job of reinvigorating the Barclays Wealth Women’s Initiatives Network, of which she is Co-Chair. “One of our first priorities was to develop a mentoring and coaching programme for junior women seeking help on developing the skills needed to succeed,” she explains. “We matched them with senior men, the idea being to help break down barriers at an early career stage, encouraging networking and getting people talking across the firms.”

King believes that the scheme has as much benefit for the men as the women, and that the network is a really important key to the success of female talent in the organisation. “We have led a lot of research that confirms that women do have a different skills from men that compliment each other in our industry and it is pleasing to see that this is becoming the accepted view,” she says. “Men are not the enemy and if you discuss why it is challenging for women, I find them very receptive to helping. It is all about learning each other’s language.”

King is also a mentor herself and feels there is plenty of scope to continue the work that she has started. “There will be more to come as the network develops and I am an Ambassador for the cause in the front line. It is my duty as a senior woman on the Barclays Stockbrokers management team to motivate and encourage other women within Barclays Wealth to maximise their contribution to the financial industry and ensure that integrity underpins everything we do. Equality does not mean all the same, it means embracing difference.”