Danny Sneath
Assistant Accountant
London

Explain the function of accounting/finance at ICAP and how your role specifically fits into this. Describe your main responsibilities and a typical team. At ICAP the finance team play a role which disperses around the entire company. We are responsible for overseeing all the financial details of the company. We account for all invoices payable to vendors, we set up budgets and forecasts to compare against actual figures whether they are expenses or income and we account for all cash transactions. In your first year at ICAP you get the chance to rotate and work within all areas of finance, Group Finance, Management Accounts, Customer Reporting, Treasury, Tax and Risk I have been given responsibilities such as creating management packs for desk managers, showing budgets and forecasts for the month. I have been given sole responsibility of creating a daily pack to be sent to all desk managers throughout the company detailing their daily brokerage figures. You really do get to feel as though you are adding value and part of the team which is exactly what I was hoping for.

How much interaction do you get with the rest of the business and what impact does accounting/finance and your role have?Finance at ICAP is a business support function but is crucial to the success of the business. There is a lot of interaction with all areas of the business including front office and the brokers. There is a large focus on teamwork throughout the company giving you the chance to see everything the company gets involved with - from initial broker deals and broker expenses to large IT projects, through to the financial statements produced at year end.

How did you first hear about ICAP and the role?My friend's cousin was a broker at ICAP and as I was looking for an accounting career once I'd graduated so she suggested I research ICAP. I always wanted to work for a financial services firm so the role seemed perfect for me.

What surprised you most about the company and your role?The most surprising aspect is how friendly everyone is, everyone makes you feel extremely welcome and you are made to feel part of a tremendous team from the very beginning. As for the role, you are never stuck with the coffee making job; there is plenty of work to do!

Why did you choose the interdealer broking industry, ICAP and an accounting/finance role?I always wanted to work in Finance, but the big accounting firms were not for me. I wanted to see more diversity around the building that I worked and at ICAP you get exactly that. There is an energy that runs through the business which gives me the energy every time I come into the office. ICAP really does have a different outlook on the working environment than other companies. There is a strong teamwork emphasis and an amazing work-life balance, ICAP understands "work/life balance" and supports this. This gives you a real respect for the company to know that you can have fun but when it is time to work, you work hard.

What skills do you think you need to be successful in finance at ICAP?I think the key skill is drive and ambition. The desire to learn and the motivation to do as much as I can and do it well. You don't need to be a genius with numbers as long as you are willing to learn. Anyone can make their way up the finance ladder and do well as part of a team and hopefully one day run a team!

Describe time you were under pressure to complete a deadline.I have a task to complete which is known as the 'Daily Brokerage'. This contains all brokerage figures made the previous day. This is an extremely important document and needs to be sent to all desk managers in the company by 1pm every day. This can be quite a challenge as not all desks will have their commission numbers available for you right away. The task can involve times of tediously waiting on others but the key is to make contact with the broker desks you need to and politely ask for the brokerage figures as soon as they arrive. Sometimes figures can look obscure and out of place, which again require contacting the relevant desks and inquiring about these brokerage figures. The deadline of 1pm is usually reachable but sometimes it can be very stressful to collect all the information in time, but it does make the mornings very energetic and when you complete the job smoothly, it feels you with a great sense of achievement.

How do the current market conditions effect interdealer broking and accounting?During the current poor market conditions, although this has greatly affected the banks, it has affected the interdealer broking industry less so. For a company the grand scale of ICAP, we have actually achieved some record breaking figures during this time. As there is such volatility in the markets, shares change hands on a regular basis and so many of our broking desks had their hands full with large numbers of broking deals going through. This was not always reflected in our market share price but the success of a business is not always seen through the eyes of an unconfident economy.

What other things are you involved in outside of work?I try to keep fit and go to the gym as often as I can, but most of my time out of work is spent socialising with my friends and going to as many festivals and clubs as I can fit in to a working life; and in my own personal time I practice DJing.