Tell us a bit about yourself…
My name is Gianluca Casali and I am a Risk Manager. I have been an Operations Analysist for 8 years and was promoted to Markets Operations Manager in 2017. When I moved to a managerial position, I had little exposure to management and therefore I understood that additional self-development was required to gain a set of soft and technical skills to allow me to perform in my new role. During this time I discussed this need with my line manager who sponsored my application for the Level 5 Operations Manager Apprenticeship. Since I started my learning journey I was able to apply new tools and techniques to my day to day responsibilities. This led me to an additional significant change in my career in 2019, when I moved to the Risk division of my organisation as an Operational Risk Manager.
What is your role?
My current role is a Risk Manager role, looking at operational risk in my organisation.
What has been your favourite part of your apprenticeship?
It is difficult for me to pick one of the elements of the apprenticeship that I found most valuable because they all were, however if I need to highlight one I would definitely choose communications. As part of my role as a manager, communications are the key ingredient to success. Through effective communication you can better understand the environment you are working in. This will enable you to boost team performance and achieve business objectives in collaboration with your stakeholders.
Do you feel you're supported and respected by others in the company?
The short answer to this question is absolutely yes! My organisation places a high value on the people working within the company. This spans from learning opportunities to wellbeing support.
How do you think an apprenticeship has helped you progress within your career?
I see apprenticeships as enablers to allow you to succeed in what you want to achieve. They are an amazing tool to improve ourselves. Even though many people think they are satisfied with their knowledge and their performance, I guarantee there is always something that can be improved on which will grant you more opportunities in the future. A key element of an apprenticeship is self-awareness. Besides all the tools, theories and techniques you can learn, I believe that the most surprising factor that contributed to my career progression was realising that certain behaviours that I thought to be optimal had significant area of improvement.