Ben Bulow

Experience

• 

  BNY Mellon

  Aug 2008 - Jul 2015

  My role is within a team providing oversight of all valuation performances conducted by an offshore (Poland) team. This requires that I maintain a detailed understanding of both the valuation process and regulatory requirements in order that we can ensure accurate and timely valuations are being produced in a risk conscious manner in line with policy and procedure. In completing this I act as a central point of contact for queries, liaising between various specialist teams and senior management with internally and externally and providing detailed technical knowledge of the NAV calculation process. Additionally I complete final stage price validation and dissemination encompassing the final sign-off of that valuation. Given the involvement in valuation production and dissemination my role is captured under the FCA T&C Scheme, I have passed and maintain threshold competency by completing the IOC and maintaining a dossier of relevant experience, training and study I have undertaken. Show less My job within a small team was to identify and carry out improvements within and around the valuations process. As part of this, I was tasked with looking at improving MI and data analysis, automating and centralising tasks, and reducing risk areas in any manual or difficult processes. I designed, implemented, ran, and maintained a number of high-level management reports including share class benchmarking, and class divergence checks. My advanced knowledge of excel enabled me to bring a fresh approach to problems, and I was often deployed as a free asset, being able to tackle any new issues that arose through regulatory changes or new client requirements. Show less I supervised a team of administrators, who performed a series of centralised tasks to support valuations teams in their NAV production process. In this role, I had to analyse and validate various aspects of a fund were correct, including daily equity income, stock dividend treatment, and special dividend analysis. I conducted regular one-to-one meetings with my direct reports, completing bi-annual performance reviews in conjunction with the departmental manager. In addition, I acted as the escalation point for my team and maintained responsibility for resolution of queries and issues. As an FCA Regulated T&C role, I worked towards completing the Investment Operations Certificate. Show less My role as a fund administrator involved the daily production of fund NAV prices for a range of collective investment schemes, comprising Authorised and Unauthorised Unit Trusts, Single and Dual Priced OEICs, CIFs and Pension Funds. The job required a wide breadth of knowledge about a number of security types, from equities and fixed income, to mutual funds and derivatives. I also acquired understanding of bespoke client requirements, such as share class and security level hedging. Furthermore, I was heavily involved in the pricing and maintenance of a bricks and mortar property fund, a specialist fund comprising buildings, offices and business parks, as well as UK REITs. This demanded an intricate knowledge of property accounting, as well as the ability to liaise with a number of external parties such as surveyors, property management teams, and legal firms. Show less

  • Fund Accounting Assistant Manager

    Oct 2013 - Jul 2015

  • Associate

    Dec 2011 - Oct 2013

  • Fund Accounting Supervisor

    Jun 2011 - Dec 2011

  • Fund Administrator

    Nov 2009 - Jun 2011

  • Investment Accountant

    Aug 2008 - Nov 2009
• 

  Northern Trust

  Aug 2015 - now

  I work in a small team to analyse, identify and implement changes in processes within the UK Fund Accounting workspace, including financial reporting. My role is to challenge existing processes and drive change to improve efficiencies, reduce risk and heighten productivity through effective project management and delivery of the strategic objectives of the department.As part of this, I utilise my extensive knowledge of fund accounting and in-depth excel vba skills to build tactical solutions to improve interim tasks, and engage with major stakeholders to ensure delivery of strategic solutions. I am also involved in high-level steering within the department, which enables me to steer the department towards better working practices, and production of the risk framework for our fund accounting platform. Show less I work within a small specialist team as a consultant, specifically focussed on UK Authorised Contractual Scheme (ACS) funds, as well as bricks & mortar property funds, master-feeder structure funds and hierarchical pricing. Within this team I also perform oversight on satellite location work, ensuring that NAVs are accurate and timely. In my role I also contribute heavily to our ongoing process improvements, specifically including our Exception Management System (EMS) controls, which form a key part of our checks; I have recently been instrumental in reworking the entire suite of rules to enable more relevant and agile checks. I am heavily relied upon client dealings, including day-to-day queries, monthly service reviews, SLD reviews and collaborative work on new project roll outs. My expertise with excel and deep understanding of the fund accounting business means that I am also deeply involved in the development of tactical solutions, and have consulted on strategic solutions, providing business sign-off for multiple technical business requirement specifications. Show less

  • Specialist, Business Analysis

    Oct 2024 - now

  • Vice President

    Oct 2021 - Oct 2024

  • 2nd Vice President

    Feb 2018 - Oct 2021

  • Officer

    Jan 2017 - Feb 2018

  • Officer

    Aug 2015 - Jan 2017