Name: David Pilbeam
Business Area: UK Retail Banking, Group
Executive Director's Office
Universities: English - Birmingham City
University
International Studies - University of
Birmingham
What do you do?
I currently work for the Group Executive
Director of UK Retail Banking, Helen Weir, as
an Assistant in her Executive office alongside
the rest of her team. My role is hugely varied
and I can never quite be sure what I will be
doing, but that variety is one of the key things
that attracted me to Lloyds TSB's graduate
programme. It still amazes me the variety and
diversity of career paths and functional roles
that there are at Lloyds TSB from operational
roles to support function roles to the very
disciplined banking roles.
I started off here as a Project Manager in our
IT Division which was hugely challenging
but I was given responsibility early on
and supported to complete the externally
recognised APMP project management
qualification. I also had a small team of 4
which was my first experience of managing
other people. It was great that I was
encouraged and given the responsibility for
other people and a project budget of £200k
so early on. I think that's one of the things
that characterises Lloyds TSB for me is the
willingness by managers to give graduates
the space and accountability to really make
a difference.
Next I moved to the Retail Bank to work in
the Credit Cards area as a Product Manager.
That was a great role because it required me
to get to grips with our front line Telephone
Banking staff as well as communicating
product changes to customers through
mailings. One of the key things I learnt there
was the importance of building bridges and
relationships with people from receptionists
right the way through to the Managing
Director. From there I moved to my current
role where I am learning how to build
relationships with the most senior people in
the organisation!
Is there more to Lloyds TSB than work?
I think so - the bank will support you through
a structured development programme whilst
you are on the scheme which is supplemented
by an individual learning fund which you can
use to boost your skills. I have spent some
of my fund on an accountancy qualification
but you don't necessarily need to spend it on
formal classroom learning. Other graduates
have spent their funds on less traditional (but
still valuable) development activities like
funding training and travel for the Microsoft
Challenge Charity event!
Lloyds TSB has a big charity culture as well
as its own charitable foundation. Earlier
this year I was involved in organising an
Emerging Talent charity event that raised
nearly £10,000 for our previous charity of
the year, Barnardo's. The green agenda is
big here too - we are on a mission to reduce
our carbon footprint! We also support
more unorthodox charities like Opportunity
International that provide micro-finance in
developing countries.
As a graduate you also have an Emerging
Talent Manager whose role is to support you
in your learning and development and to guide
you to realise your potential. I have found it
really useful to have someone outside of my
functional business area who I can approach
and I can rely on to put my development
needs first.
There is a very strong social aspect to the
schemes too. I have made some lasting
friendships since joining the scheme and we
regularly meet up at organised work events
like the annual Graduate Management Trainee
conference and socially outside of work.
I am coming to the end of my second year
at Lloyds TSB now and I really feel like I
have come such a long way in that period -
not just in terms of the roles I have done but
personally too. In my experience, you get out
of a graduate scheme what you put in and I
can certainly say that it's been hard work but
I've loved every minute!
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