BARCLAYS customers are getting a better service because there are more staff to serve them. The corporate division has increased the number of relationship managers and support staff by 25% over the last year.

International corporate director Mark Leaman said it was responding to client demand.

He believed the changes would not only benefit customers but also lead to an increase in business for Barclays.

‘The finance industry in Guernsey is very competitive but we believe that we differentiate ourselves because we have quality people delivering a good product which is competitively priced,’ said Mr Leaman.

Two years ago the company axed back-office jobs as it streamlined its offshore businesses but now it is taking on more staff.

‘Guernsey has a large business community and is a good place to do business. Twelve to 15 months ago we identified that while we had a big corporate banking sector, there was an opportunity to expand further and we wanted to maximise that opportunity.

‘Our feedback showed that while customers were happy with the service they were getting from us, they wanted more contact and therefore more relationship managers. In combination we therefore decided to increase the number of people in customer- facing roles.’

Mr Leaman said that there had been more staff taken on across the business. In the personal banking sector, the company had increased the number of branch mortgage advisors, an area where business had been growing at a strong rate over the last year or two.

The biggest rise in frontline staff had been in the corporate sector.

Mr Leaman said that the strength of the island’s finance industry was providing more corporate banking business and the company was keen to make the most of that by recruiting high- quality staff.

He said that the island needed to maintain the conditions that promoted a strong finance industry, such as effective but common-sense regulation, the presence of good-quality staff and high-quality support services, such as lawyers and accountants.

Mr Leaman said that for Barclays and the finance industry generally it was crucial to have skilled, well-qualified and experienced people to employ.

‘Guernsey is competing with other areas such as Jersey and the Isle of Man and it needs to ensure that there are good quality people around who are properly trained and educated.

‘We have been recruiting good local people at a senior level and have a strong retention policy because we make sure we get the right people for the job.

‘Guernsey needs to make sure that supply of labour is maintained because we need to beat other jurisdictions.’