LISA NORMAN realised early in her career that the team around her was as important as enjoying the job she did. ‘I have always liked interaction with clients and working with people. It’s more interesting than the analytical side of things,’ she said.

‘I have always thrived and excelled if I’m working with people who are challenging and ambitious.’

She started working for Barclays three years ago in business development, but now heads the corporate intermediary banking team and was able to hand-pick a number of the people to work with her.

‘The team is absolutely everything. People are the best asset you can have, which is a key strategy for Barclays.

‘I felt quite strongly when I got the job here that I wanted to find the right people to work in the team, which can often be a long process. We go through a rigorous recruitment process and I’m not prepared to put up with second best.’

The former Ladies’ College pupil has carried out a variety of roles in the finance industry, beginning at secretarial level.

‘I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school. I was not an academic, scraped though my O-levels and went to the College of FE to do business studies.

‘At that time I had a pre-conceived idea that finance would be boring but having now worked in many differing parts of the sector, I’ve realised there are many opportunities and many skills are transferrable.’

Her first position was with Channel Insurance Brokers but she soon moved to Ozannes, where she stayed for six years working in the commercial department.

She admits to being ambitious and with a drive to succeed.

‘Why do half a job?

‘I believe that you spend such a significant amount of time at work that you must enjoy it. If you don’t, you are in the wrong role.

‘I’m one of those people that gets bored and I have to keep myself challenged. You have to have the desire to better yourself and you have to be exposed to the right people and take the opportunity to learn from them.’

Miss Norman took a job with Bachmann Asset Management where she was given the opportunity to learn about trusts, asset management, treasury and foreign exchange.

She then moved to Invesco, known at the time as GT Management, as client services manager. While it was a FTSE 100 company, it had a relatively small presence in Guernsey.

‘Of all the jobs I have had, this sits high on the enjoyable list. The team there were great. We worked hard and played hard and I had increasing exposure to dealing with clients and sales.’

Invesco took the decision to close the Guernsey office and Miss Norman was offered a position with the company in London, something she agonised over before accepting.

‘Initially I was very concerned because I had never worked outside Guernsey and because I wasn’t 20 any longer and would be leaving my family and friends.

‘I wondered if it was too late in life to make the move because my partner and my life were here. I took a big risk moving to London. Initially I thought I would go for three months, but ended up staying for three years.

‘I knew that if I didn’t go, I would regret it. One of my philosophies is to accept opportunity when it arises. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.’

Though she spent time going back and forth between Guernsey and London, it proved to be the right decision.

‘I loved the buzz of working in the City and being close to the centre of the organisation. It gave me the opportunity to expand my skill set and to be at the hub of the action was really exciting.’

Her role was to move the offshore team from the Channel Islands to London.

‘I was tasked with setting up a new team virtually from scratch. It was like having a blank sheet of paper which was very exciting.’

While she found her job fulfilling, life was lonely in London away from her family, partner and friends.

Miss Norman returned to Guernsey where she considered her next move.

‘I needed a new challenge and thought about the things I had enjoyed in my previous roles, which was very much about the people.’

The business-development management role she took with Barclays was primarily focused on the corporate sector.

‘What I really enjoyed was that I had a blank sheet of paper and could follow my own strategy. I am not a supporter of micro-management and it was a breath of fresh air to be able to do that.’

When the chance to become an associate director with responsibility for the senior sales and relationship team for Barclays Corporate Banking came up, she jumped at it.

‘I decided to apply because the higher up the ladder you get, the funnel of jobs gets smaller so fewer opportunities arise. It was the next step out of the comfort zone, but I felt it was worth taking the risk.’

Though her gender never held her back, Miss Norman has found there are fewer women at the top of the profession.

‘If I look at my peer group, out of all the offshore jurisdictions where we maintain offices, I’m the only female doing my role.’

She admits to being very competitive, which has stood her in excellent stead.

‘You have to be hungry and want something badly. For me it’s the ambition and the desire to be the best. I’m always looking to better myself. Why just meet the target when you can exceed it?’