Archive for the ‘Work’ Category
Career ..!?
Leave a CommentI have started to reach a mid-life crisis in terms of my career. After having spent +12 years in the financial industry I wonder if it gets any better ..? Better in what, you may ask. Better position on the career ladder, better company, better, better? I currently am VP of Enterprise Architecture in a sizable investment house, AUM = +€200 Billion, so bigger, better, higher is not the issue.
One just gets frustrated that we as an investment industry make it ourselves so difficult in terms of business and technology alignment not to mention regulatory requirements. I believe most investment companies could get by with half of the IT systems they actually need to do business, a green field design would compromise of fewer systems and fewer ‘core’ processes. Driven by ‘enforced’ incompatibilities (who is the leader of the standards pack?), ‘not invented here’ syndrome, and the increase of complex instruments, the industry is sliding of into managing complexity instead of doing business. Trading platforms, Algo-trading, etc will only bring so much relief by wrapping complexity behind facades … Old problems, with new faces, meaning doing the same concepts over and over again.
Is it time for a change ..? Will things eventually get better ..? 
Welcome to … another MBA blog.
Comments (2)Another one trying to maintain a blog on combining studies and work. This one however will be slightly different as I am partaking in a part time Executive MBA program in the Netherlands. This combination to my knowledge is rather scarse in the EMBA blogging ’scene’ 
Whoami? My professional profile would spell out ‘technology’ on a first glance. There is more however than meets the eye, although technology is a central theme, most of my dealings and interactions are with the business in terms of process redesign, control/compliance and implementing/supporting new investment products/instruments. I have 12+ years experience in the financial industry, mainly with insurances, (investment) banks and pension funds. My career has been the traditional one from programmer to management.
Currently I work as an Enterprise Architect (VP) in support of the CIO within the investment and pensions industry, my focus is on enabling business with architecture were it adds value (strategic and tactical alignment). Recent topics within investments were Ext./Int. STP, Algo Trading, CEP, Control/Compliance, exotic instrument support, trading/settlement support, data ware housing, reference data management (static- and market data), etc. Within pensions a complete refactoring of business and IT is underway to meet the demands of new markets and schemes.
I opted for the EMBA program for many reasons, first to deepen my knowledge on corporate finance and investment management, second, to reach a higher playing field in developing business strategies in fast changing markets and thirdly, to be able to choose another career path i.e. from a technology to a more business orientation.
For the moment my job as enterprise architect still gives me the freedom to help develop business in a sustainable way by leveraging technologies and business (core) operating models to meet the strategic intentions, both on the investments as pensions side of the corporation.
This blog will serve as earmark to collect my thoughts on the future in terms of career, education, family/work and “stuff”. I will do my best effort to maintain this blog while I am at RSM for my EMBA. Some important links to start:
