Karen Sloan is head of payments and cash management at HSBC Corporate Banking, Ireland. Sloan spends most of her day discussing treasury and cash management topics with both local and international colleagues, while maintaining close relationships with Irish and international clients. She says client activity is at a high at the moment as a result of the Single European Payment Area (SEPA), which she says is a unique opportunity for clients 'to re-engineer their bank account and liquidity management structures to streamline processes.'

Although most investment bankers train as chartered accountants, the industry attracts people from all backgrounds including engineering and the arts. Leo Casey writes that what's important to succeed in the sector are strong analytical and inter-personal skills.