Profiles

Careers

Profiles

Meet some of the people that make Barrie & Hibbert a great place to work.

Meet Laura

In this short video, Laura talks about her job at Barrie & Hibbert, living in Edinburgh, and what it's like to work here.

Staff Profiles

Mark Owen

Mark Owen
Senior Analyst, Quantitative Research

What did you study at University?
I studied mathematics for my undergraduate degree, and went on to do a PhD in mathematical analysis. Later on, while I was working as a postdoctoral research assistant, I also completed a part-time diploma in economics.
What attracted you to Barrie & Hibbert?
The company has an excellent worldwide reputation and is widely recognised as a market leader in financial risk management. Before I started working at Barrie and Hibbert I asked people I knew about the working environment at the company, and heard a lot of good things.
What drew you to Edinburgh?
Edinburgh manages to strike the balance between the buzz of a large city and quality of life of a smaller one. Each year the city hosts the world renowned Edinburgh International Festival, and the Hogmanay celebrations are an unforgettable experience.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
My time is spent almost exclusively on quantitative research. I spend about one third of my time researching and developing financial models, one third implementing and testing these models, and one third communicating results and developments with my team, other colleagues and externally.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a credit model for defaultable debt securities which is sophisticated enough to capture market observed credit spreads, and spread correlations.
What is the best thing about working for Barrie & Hibbert?
The research team has no end of challenging problems which need a solution. There are a lot of very talented and motivated people working at Barrie & Hibbert. The working environment is very supportive; I feel that my opinion is valued and that my work has a significant impact on the company.
What social activities have you been involved with at Barrie & Hibbert?
There is a constant stream of social events being organised by the people at Barrie & Hibbert. Within the first three months of joining the company I attended the Summer Barbeque and took part in a charity cycle ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Matt Little

Matt Little
Head of Development

What did you study at University?
A BSc in Computer Science at St Andrews University.
What attracted you to Barrie & Hibbert?
Barrie and Hibbert was a breath of fresh air compared to some of the other options out there. The rapidly moving nature of our company is something that I really enjoy and being able to make a difference from day one is really important to me.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
There is no such thing as a ‘standard’ day – every day brings new challenges. Recently, amongst other things, I have been refining the roadmap for the our platform, planning project resources, attending an industry seminar on European legislation, working on defining new products to take to market, talking to some secondary school students about computing careers and co-organising a volunteering day at a local Children’s charity.
What opportunities are available to you in the long term at Barrie & Hibbert?
The opportunities to take on new responsibilities at Barrie and Hibbert are huge. Unlike some organisations, if you are willing to grab those opportunities, nobody is going to say ‘no’!   As an example, one of our latest joiners came straight from University and within 12 months of joining led a project to deliver a new global release of our software. 
How would you sum up working life at Barrie & Hibbert in five words?
Five words – energy, challenge, drive and great colleagues.
What advice would you give someone wanting to join the Development team?
Know your stuff and tell us about it.    The team here are really good at software development and we look for excellent people to make our team even better. The selection process is quite challenging and we will ask some searching questions but that is because we want to give you the opportunity to prove that you could make the team even stronger.

Angela Millar

Angela Millar
Data Analyst, Production Operations

What did you study at University?
I studied Economics and German at Strathclyde University; this was a five year course with an Erasmus Exchange year in Dortmund, Germany.
What attracted you to Barrie & Hibbert?
Having worked in the banking sector previously, I was looking for a more challenging and varied role. On researching the company, I felt like this was the place for me; not only is B&H known for its excellence but the culture of the company is second to none. During the interview process, I already began to feel like part of the family.
Why did you choose your role?
My team is relatively new to the company and the opportunity to develop and take on further responsibility made this role very appealing to me. I felt I could contribute the transferable skills I already possessed and help the team to grow.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
My time is very varied; no day is really the same. Generally, I am responsible for sourcing and validating data and production delivery of Barrie & Hibbert’s standard services. At month end, all my focus is on calibrations, especially the quarterly calibrations. I am also involved in running scenario sets and other bespoke calibrations. My team also gets queries from many different areas regarding data availability; this is the most exciting part of my job as some of the requests can be very obscure!
What is the best thing about working for Barrie & Hibbert?
For me, the combination of the culture/people and the variety of projects I that can get involved with is key. Everyone in the company has a positive attitude and we all share common values such as ensuring "client focus." I enjoy being motivated so having a variety of projects to get involved with is always welcomed.
What advice would you give someone wanting to join the Production Operations team?
Don’t be scared to ask questions, it is the best way to learn. This is the steepest learning curve that I have ever faced but the support I have received has been excellent. This applies to the interview process too; research the position and the company beforehand, but always be sure to ask all outstanding questions – the interview process works both ways!

Aubrey Clayton

Aubrey Clayton
Senior Quantitative Analyst, New York Office

What did you study at University?
Math and Statistics.
What attracted you to Barrie & Hibbert?
I was looking for a way to use my math background outside of academia. I was interested in finance but didn’t like the idea of being a back-office quant doing the same tasks every day. B&H gave me an opportunity to work with clients, learn about a wide range of topics, and still solve hard math problems. Plus, I was really impressed by how friendly everyone was and the general team atmosphere.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
A good portion of my time, maybe 4-6 hours per day, is spent doing client support—either answering queries about the software/models or bigger projects like coordinating trials and training courses. Some days I do more research-oriented projects, which could consist of thinking about a new model or a way to enhance our existing models. This usually bleeds into client support as well, since it’s often in response to a client issue that we start thinking about a new model. Lately, I’ve enjoyed finding surprising new ways to use old models. The balance of my time might go to service requests like scenario set production or custom calibrations, etc. It’s always something new.
What qualifications are you working towards and what support are you getting?
I'm most of the way towards an ASA, with only a couple of education credits to finish. I’ve taken 5 actuarial exams since starting at B&H, and I’ve gotten great support in the form of study time and exam fees/study materials. Plus, it helps to have so many actuaries and Ph.D.’s around to ask questions of!
What opportunities are available to you in the long term at Barrie & Hibbert?
The office where I work is expanding quickly, and I’ve taken on more of a managerial role as we’ve hired additional people, which has been great so far. I’m expecting that to continue.

George Tyrakis

George Tyrakis
Analyst, Modelling Services

What did you study at University?
BSc Maths with Actuarial Science and MSc in Applied Actuarial Science.
What attracted you to Barrie & Hibbert?
A keen interest in stochastic asset modelling and risk-based modelling. The opportunity to develop my understanding of mathematical models used in risk management and to be at the forefront of their application in industry.
Why did you choose your role?
The mixture of client-facing and quantitative exposure was very attractive. My role gives me the scope to develop both skill-sets and is uniquely challenging compared to a typical actuarial role.
What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
Most of my time is spent supporting the sales process. This involves meeting with prospect clients and demonstrating B&H offerings to prospects. The rest of my time is spent assisting our Modelling Services team to deliver calibrations, economic scenario sets and other bespoke assignments. 
What opportunities are available to you in the long term at Barrie & Hibbert?
It is clear that the path I take in B&H depends on the type of work I enjoy and am most effective performing. The scope to move into different areas is beneficial – I find I am not “pigeon holed” and can gain exposure to a broad variety of work. In my current role, the natural progression is towards Client Relationship Management where I would be responsible for gaining new clients and maintaining existing engagements.  
What is the best thing about working for Barrie & Hibbert?
Being able to be at the forefront of stochastic modelling and its application in the financial services industry is a key advantage of working at B&H. There is a clear culture in B&H of fostering knowledge sharing and development – which is naturally beneficial to the quality of work undertaken. Having access the knowledge and expertise of my colleagues.
What social activities have you been involved with at Barrie & Hibbert?
Team development day was a great opportunity to spend a day with colleagues on a treasure hunt around London!