Senior Manager, Natacha Kay provides an insight into her role in our private equity team and what it's like to work for one of the world's largest providers of fund administration, corporate, fiduciary and capital markets services. *
On joining Ocorian...
I joined Ocorian in February 2016 as a senior administrator, stepping up from an administrator role at another firm in Jersey. Even at the interview stages, what was really encouraging was the importance of fostering a culture to grow within, with time also being taken by senior individuals to participate in the process.
On career progression...
Having joined in 2016, I was promoted to assistant manager within six months, which really demonstrated to me Ocorian's commitment to nurturing its employee base and promoting from within. Since then I have progressed to senior manager and manage one of Ocorian's two private equity teams. During this time, I was also put forward and shortlisted for the ICSA 'One to Watch' award in 2018, which I won. Receiving this award and gaining recognition from my peers for my contributions at work was a really proud moment.
On the Ocorian culture...
Without sounding clichéd, what makes working at Ocorian so enjoyable is the people! The culture of providing excellent client service is infectious and creates a really positive environment in which to work. It is very much an 'open door' policy and this can be felt with the top down support and focus on personal and professional development.
Ocorian have been a great company to grow into a career with. They offer a host of opportunities to employees across our different service lines and business support areas. They've really helped me to achieve my career goals. Whether it's financial support for professional qualifications and specific training/CPD, or a more personal, one-to-one approach through coaching and mentoring, I've felt supported throughout my journey here. Our HR and leadership have also been commended for their professional development and training programme, receiving platinum accreditation from STEP and ACCA.
On Ocorian's fund services...
Our fund services line is a big growth area for us. Our expertise covers the full range of investment structures and we specialise in alternative asset classes across private equity, real estate, venture capital, infrastructure and debt. This means there are real demands on knowledge, but that only means you want to bridge the gap and pursue relevant courses so you're confident in your understanding. It also helps having a global team in key financial centres at the touch of a button! Colleagues are always on-hand to call upon on if you need support or clarification on something - having that expertise to leverage off is invaluable.
The same goes for our clients, they can utilise our global network to seize investment and structuring opportunities in different locations. Our clients are also very diverse, which means the days are always varied and you get great exposure to the wider fund management industry.
I can't talk about our services without mentioning the merger with Estera earlier in the year. This was a big move for Ocorian and significantly increased our capacity as a service provider. Now the business has a more far-reaching global footprint and gives our clients access to local expertise in locations such as the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong, which really adds to our offering.
On Ocorian's growth...
It's certainly an exciting time for Ocorian at the moment. The integration of Ocorian and Estera is well underway and I expect that there'll be further acquisitions over the next year or so. Working with a wider team also exposes you to new ways of working and collaborating which is always nice. I don't envy the project team working on bringing the teams and systems together, it's a massive undertaking, but the end result will be a healthier and more efficient business. The private equity team is a key part of this. Our team is really dynamic and as the business expands, it'll be exciting to see what opportunities this presents us with.
Be part of Ocorian
We have a number of open positions in our Jersey, Guernsey and wider international offices. If you are interested in growing your career with Ocorian, you can view all of our current vacancies here.
