Posted: Friday 11 November 2011
Determination pays dividends for Lloyds emerging executive
Lara Gilmour and Lawrie Carlaw of S6 continue their Talking Points coverage with a report on the career success of Kevin Dunne:
On Friday the 4th November, Kevin Dunne (above) from Lloyds Banking Group delivered a speech at Talking Points to 6th year. Mr Dunne is ambitious, hardworking and very capable when it comes to business, and also an engaging and enthralling public speaker on top of that! He told his story: from working in a small firm in Ireland, to being a well-respected employee of Lloyds.
We learned of his willingness to work and learn from an early age, as he described his university course and his first jobs. He highlighted the value of studying, living and working abroad – which he did in Italy.
However, his first career-moving job was working with Rothschild, in which he had to work hard as an analyst for the firm following a training scheme, as most new employees do. Unfortunately, following the events of September 11th 2001, he was told that he would no longer have a job with the firm and was thrust into the world of the unemployed. This must have been a terrible shock to him, but it did not deter him, and shortly after these events he found another job in a similar role and started in his major career progression. His mind-set was that he would take every opportunity to complete tasks, or take on responsibilities so that he could further heighten his role’s importance in the firms he worked for.
This determination led Mr Dunne to a position in IT, in which he now specialises in Lloyds Banking Group. However, when asked if he was likely to move again he smiled, shrugged and hinted that it was likely, as he is part of an “emerging executive” scheme which aims to give a small group of employees a solid knowledge of the firm and all its areas in order to manage it in later years.
Kevin Dunne’s speech was perfect for our year, as it motivated 6th year to get into the world of work and it showed that if you don’t get (or keep) the first job you want then there are always other opportunities. In the informal lunch in the Founders’ Room after the speech, Mr Dunne chatted to the economics students about his work, and the state of the economy. It was a great chance for us to gain first-hand knowledge from somebody who’s directly involved with the financial sector, and it also highlighted how amiable and interesting he was as a person. His main piece of advice was to grasp any chance you can, as it will improve you as a person as well as progressing your job.
After his speech, and speaking to him personally at the lunch, I know that Mr Dunne is a role-model for me, and I aspire to be as successful as him and I am sure that many others share my sentiments.