Brian is Head of Europe, Middle East, and Africa Trading in the Portfolio Execution Group. Based in the London office, his team runs European trading for GIC, and is responsible for executing trades across public markets—including equities, currencies, fixed income, and commodities.
Outside of work, Brian is a sports fanatic, but more of a spectator these days. To keep himself fit, he goes for a run several times a week. Otherwise, he is happy sitting in front of the television to watch his favourite teams—Liverpool and Leinster. Music is his other passion, and he attends a few gigs a month at the Barbican Centre or the Union Chapel in Islington.
Why did you decide to join GIC?
I was always interested in working in finance, and particularly in a market-facing capacity. As a teen, I loved watching movies such as Trading Places, The Secret of My Success, and Wall Street—which only increased my curiosity in this field. Personally, having a sense of purpose is a critical aspect of my job. I want a career that I am proud of and has a meaningful impact on society at large. Thus, when the opportunity arose to work as a trader for GIC, I jumped at the chance!
What does your typical workday look like?
The beauty of a trading role is that every day is unique. Markets are constantly in flux—impacted by fund positioning, liquidity, and investor sentiment. The challenge of the role is to consume and interpret all the information and ascertain how such variables impact the performance of the markets. Understanding the interrelationships and technical aspects of the markets is a challenge you will never get bored of.
What do you like most about working here?
The exposure and access to key risk-takers, which working as a trader for GIC provides, is unparalleled. Long-established and deep relationships with industry peers and the sell-side banks give us phenomenal access to information and content, and the ability to speak to an industry expert is only a phone call away.
I also get to work on exciting and impactful projects at GIC. Developing our tech stack is a core focus of the trading team. We invest huge resources in pioneering innovative tech solutions, looking to leverage a trader’s skillset with the latest high-performance tech infrastructure. A recent example is Project Autopilot, an in-house virtual smart assistant which enables traders to manage hundreds of limit orders at a time. Combining the traders’ comprehensive understanding of markets and products with the quantitative signals processed by Autopilot has proven to be a phenomenally successful mix.
GIC is an extremely diverse organisation with offices across the globe and a smorgasbord of cultures and personalities working within. The London office alone has over 30 different nationalities. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are taken very seriously at GIC, with many regular sessions and teach-ins on important topics.
How would you describe the learning & development culture at GIC?
There is an ethos of continuous improvement at GIC. Employees are encouraged to utilise the healthy training budget to learn new skills and develop themselves professionally. Our internal GIC School is another resource where employees can hone existing skills or embark on a new learning adventure. It is a matter of how ambitious you want to be!
What you should know before joining GIC
If you are ambitious, driven, and keen to grow professionally, this is the place for you. GIC offers a wide variety of roles, spanning every asset class across financial markets. If you have an interest in finance, you will find the right role for you.