Day in the Life: Seán Fagan, Commercial Credit Risk Underwriter, AIB UK

We speak with Seán Fagan, who recently began his career journey in financial services, working as Commercial Credit Risk Underwriter, following completion of graduate programme with AIB UK.

In this article, Seán reflects on how education and learning has influenced his work, and his purpose-driven approach to supporting customers. He also offers advice to those considering beginning a career in financial services sector.

Hi Seán, thank you for speaking with us. Can you tell us what interested you in pursuing a career in financial services?

Delighted to be speaking with you!

Honestly, I didn’t really plan on a career in financial services to begin with. I studied a Law with Business Management degree in Maynooth University and the plan was originally a legal career. Towards the end of my degree the Uni hosted an “alternative careers in Law” talk and that really expanded my horizons.

I’ve always been interested in how different businesses operate and the role finance plays in supporting/scaling them. Financial services appealed to me because it combines that legalistic critical and analytical thinking with pretty immediate real-world impact, so I understood it to be very rewarding in that sense.

You currently work as a commercial credit risk underwriter. What does a typical day look like in your role?

Every day is different in SME Credit Underwriting!

The common thread is that a typical day will involve assessing credit applications from many diverse types of businesses, analysing financial statements, and evaluating risk factors to determine whether lending is viable.

We are in the business of taking risks, so that means a lot of collaboration with our front-line relationship managers and other stakeholders to ensure lending decisions align with our risk appetite and customer needs.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

This is a difficult one. I’ll give you two answers because I can’t narrow it down. Firstly, I love the buzz of holding a credit authority, being at the end of the decision tree and the responsibility that comes with it. Analysing businesses and seeing the trends, understanding how we can support our customers make their ambitions a reality. I really love all of that.

Secondly, the organisational culture. The people and community of AIB is really special. In the UK division it is maybe even more pronounced as we are a relatively small section of the larger group, so everyone knows everyone. I think for me; my enjoyment of the role is elevated because of the people I deal with on a daily basis.

What’s one aspect of your role that surprised you or was different to what you expected?

I was surprised by how much communication and collaboration is involved. While the role is analytical by its nature, it also requires strong interpersonal skills to work with different teams and explain complex decisions clearly. It is really important to build and maintain trust across many teams of the organisation as an underwriter. Therefore, your interpersonal skills must be on form every day you log on for work.

How has education supported your career journey in financial services?

Education gave me the foundation that I rely on daily. Beyond technical knowledge, it taught me critical thinking and attention to detail—skills that are essential in credit risk analysis. I am still relatively early in my career, but education was the key to me getting where I am now, and it will be the key to getting me where I want to go.

At this stage I am focused in on strategic professional development rather than generalised academia. My most recent example of this was a Professional Diploma in SME Credit I completed with IOB and the great Noel McArdle. This qualification expanded my skills in credit risk and has already benefitted my career by way of progression to being a credit authority holder.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

I have received so many great bits of advice from many sources, especially mentors I’ve had in AIB. The one that sticks out to me immediately is: “Never be afraid to jump at an opportunity because of your age”. I think it is a really useful piece of wisdom both in a professional and personal sense. People very often hold back from opportunity because they perceive themselves either too young or too old for a particular opportunity. I suppose it is a specific reinterpretation of Voltaire’s “Perfect is the enemy of good”. Both have similar meaning to me.

What advice would you give to someone beginning their career and considering a role in financial services?

The best advice I could give someone starting or considering a career in financial services is to get in the door and connect with people at all levels. The services economy is all about knowledge and the best way to attain knowledge at pace is to have a network of contacts you can call on for mentorship. To grow this network, you must be open, available, and personable with everyone you interact with. When I encounter people beginning their career, very often they express a concern with being open with senior colleagues due to a perceived power distance. While not universal, the perception is generally larger than the reality. It is my view that the more you connect with people the better, more enjoyable and more rewarding your career will be.

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