Tribute to Gaynor Mullane by Robert Begbie, RBS Treasurer
I write this tribute with much sorrow for the loss of a colleague and a friend, who lost her fight against cancer on 3 February 2018.
Gaynor Mullane was diagnosed with cancer in February 2017 and fought the disease with grace, courage, humility and amazing positivity right to the end. She leaves a husband, Don and three children, Caitlin, Grace and Jack, who are a credit to Gaynor and Don and a wonderful legacy.
Whilst in role as Franchise Treasurer, Gaynor was asked to tell RBS staff her Career Journey. As a woman, a wife and a mother in, what is still, a male-dominated profession, Gaynor was always happy to tell others how she had developed her career, realised her ambitions and overcome the challenges along the way. I think she saw it as a satisfying and fulfilling duty to be a role model to young people, especially women, in banking and I know that many have benefitted from Gaynor’s help, advice and insight in her time at RBS.
For this tribute, I have relied upon some of Gaynor’s own words used in that Career Journey. No one could say it better.
“The most important advice I would give would be to get as broad a range of experience as possible whilst you are at junior levels – it will really help you see how things fit together and it is harder to transition to new disciplines the more senior you get. I’d also recommend putting yourself forward for new opportunities wherever you see them and keeping a broad network of people who can help you in your career.
Born in Wigan in 1966, my early plans were to be an academic librarian or a teacher. No one was as surprised as I was when I chose to go into Accountancy, especially as my degree was in Classics and Philosophy!
I started my career in 1987, straight from University, as an Auditor at Touche Ross Financial Institutions Group.
From 1992 to 2008, I had roles in Mitsubishi Bank, Cooperative Bank, a small consultancy called TCA and Ernst & Young. Throughout those roles, I learned many things: - to stay calm and think things through before I acted, the importance of a wide and reliable network, the need to work on my “Executive Presence” and senior level communication skills as I took on more senior roles and how important it was to be prepared to challenge and that saying the most unpopular thing is sometimes what is required. I had roles where I needed to hone my political skills and develop a much thicker skin than I had had before!
In 2008 I took a career break in order to spend time with my children.
After my career break, I joined RBS in 2010.
My first role was as Project Manager for Finance Change in RBS Global Banking & Markets (GBM). I joined RBS because I hadn’t worked for RBS before and it had the largest Change Programme in the City at that time (Northstar). I became increasingly frustrated with how Change projects were run at RBS and so, when the role of sponsor for the project came up (a role three levels higher than my current role), I decided to apply for the role of COO of GBM Treasury.
Whilst in this role, I delivered the 2011/2012 Change project for the infrastructure and control environment.
In 2013, I became Treasurer for Markets and in 2014, this was extended to Treasurer for Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB).
I then extended my role to include Corporate and Private Banking (CPB) and Personal and Business Banking (PBB) franchises as well as the RBS Investment Banking franchise, NatWest Markets.
Whilst in the Franchise Treasurer role, the biggest challenge has been time management and prioritisation. The thing I like most about the role is the sheer variety and the ability to develop and grow a team.”
Gaynor was an asset to my Treasury team and to my Executive Committee. She was a strong ally and a worthy opponent, who would not hesitate in doing what was right for both her team and for the business and I valued her technical expertise and her insight.
I was fortunate enough to see Gaynor shortly before she passed away. She told me how lucky she considered herself to be, to have a husband and children, who she loved and a career that she had thrived in and enjoyed. She so deserved to beat her illness, but the admirable and inspiring way that she faced up to that fight will remain with me always.
Thank you, Gaynor, for being you. Rest in peace.