BOB COCHRANE

CLASS OF 1996

Senior Vice President, Citi

I have very fond memories of my time at Belfast High School, both academically and personally, and forged friendships there that are still going strong all these years later! After leaving school I studied Economic and Social History at Queen’s University Belfast. I enjoyed my time at university immensely. Upon graduation I entered the Northern Ireland Civil Service but soon realised the public sector wasn’t for me and after two years, I made the move into banking. I have had a varied career within the industry. Initially I focused on loans, mortgages, credit cards and savings, however, in 2008 I segued into Risk Management, and in doing so found what has been the focus of my career.

I helped establish and develop a Sales Quality Oversight Team across the UK at Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) which was then acquired by Lloyds Banking Group (LBG). This was a difficult and transformational time within the banking industry due to the Great Recession and I used this as motivation to make a leap of faith into investment banking. I joined Citi, an American multinational investment bank, in 2010 and embarked on a very different journey in banking. My first role was as a Line Control Officer for Foreign Exchange across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Adapting to a new professional culture and a new type of banking was daunting, and the learning curve was steep!

In 2014 I moved roles to look after Manual Payment Governance for Citi’s Market Business on a global basis. This new challenge allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. I was fortunate enough to travel the world, being exposed to wonderful cultures, people and places. In 2024 Citi has undergone a transformative structural re-organisation resulting in widespread role changes, including my own. My current role is Senior Vice President responsible for Processing Risk Identification and Analysis. I have a global team with people reporting to me from the UK, India and the USA. I am passionate about diversity and inclusion and run regular workshops on cultural intelligence. I also act as a mentor for our female empowerment workstream – Prometheus.

If I could offer any advice, it would be to take part in as much of school life as you can! Your education does not begin and end in a textbook, it is built upon your social relationships, your extra-curricular activities and hobbies and your willingness to be a part of the school community. Be prepared to say yes, volunteer and show up. Every new experience is a chance to acquire new skills, find and develop talents and to forge relationships! Be curious, ask questions, debate and be involved! Finally, we can seldom be the smartest person in the room but we can choose to be the hardest working.