Day in the life: Tríona Dever, Head of Client Services

Tríona Dever recently started a new role as Head of Client Services with Universal Investment Ireland. The new position builds on her extensive experience in the funds industry working in operational risk leadership roles. We speak with Triona about her career journey, tips on keeping up with evolving regulatory and reporting requirements and her advice to those interested in developing a career in the funds sector.

Hi Tríona, thank you for speaking with us. What initially motivated you to pursue a career in the financial services?

Soon after completing my BA in Business Studies, I started applying for graduate programs in the pension industry and later broadened my search to include the funds industry. I eventually accepted a Transfer Agency role with Metzler Ireland (now Universal Investment Ireland) and 17 years later, I am still here!

Early on, I was actively encouraged by my managers to pursue professional education, so I completed my specialist certificate and diplomas in Investment Fund Services with IOB within the first 3 years of starting my role. This gave me a solid foundation of knowledge to build on.

At the time I took the job, I did not realise how lucky I was to get a role with an active fund management company that retained a number of functions that are typically delegated to third parties. We retained transfer agency, fund accounting, trade execution, middle office/settlements and risk.

Can you tell us a little about your career journey in the funds sector?

The benefit of starting my career with a small (but mighty!) firm is that over the years, I have worked with nearly every department and therefore have had exposure to all areas of business. I have also been fortunate to be involved in a number of interesting strategic projects as the company has grown.

I progressed to manager of the Transfer Agency team and concurrently managed a department that was responsible for fund product launches and changes, fund marketing registrations and fund offering documents. Here, I was more involved in the large regulatory change projects which I really enjoyed.

Then, with the introduction of Fund Management Companies Guidance, the expectations of the Central Bank of Ireland regarding the management of operational risks on the ManCo side of the funds industry became clearer. As I was still leading operational teams at this point, my focus was on the first line’s responsibilities, but it was an area I saw a huge amount of value in – nobody wants errors in their department!

In 2016, I completed my Professional Certificate in Investment Fund Services Risk Management (Operational Risk, Conduct Risk and Risk Culture) and the PRMIA Operational Risk Manager Certificate with IOB with the intention of improving my knowledge for my first line of defence role initially, then I moved to the second line, taking on the role of Head of Operational Risk in 2020.

As the Head of Operational Risk, I held the pre controlled function of Designated Person for Operational Risk. I had responsibility to monitor and oversee all areas relating to operational risk across the business including errors, outsourcing, operational resilience, cyber and ICT. Operational risk is a huge area, but it is a great opportunity to really understand the full business end to end.

In 2024, I completed the Certified Investment Fund Director programme with IOB, which was an invaluable jumping off point to take on my new role as Head of Client Services at the beginning of 2025.

What is a typical day like in your role?

As Head of Clients Services, my role is to ensure that we deliver a quality management company service to and support our clients throughout the fund life cycle. My days vary, however throughout a typical week I am engaging with multiple internal and external stakeholders to support the delivery of both client and organisational objectives. This includes attending client fund board meetings as the management company representative, meeting with potential new clients to discuss our service offering and working with teams from across the business to develop solutions for our clients.

What aspects of your work do you enjoy the most?

I interact with lots of different highly knowledgeable and skilled people internally and externally on some really exciting projects. No two days are the same and I am never bored.

How do you keep up with evolving regulatory and reporting requirements that impact your role?

A lot of reading - all the law firms and consulting companies have email distribution lists that are a good way of staying informed, particularly for the digestible bite sized headlines. Industry groups such as Irish Funds are invaluable especially for issues facing the whole funds industry. I would also recommend the courses in IOB – I have taken quite a number of them over the years, and they have all benefited me by both developing my knowledge and increasing my network.

However, the reality of it is, there is no getting away from reading and understanding the applicable regulations, legislation and guidance from the CBI and European bodies such as the EBA.

You have extensive experience working in risk management, what advice would you give to someone aspiring to enter the risk field?

Risk management is engrained in human nature. Every decision we make weighs up the different risks. The best place to start is in your current role! Every company has controls in place to manage risk. If your company has a risk team, meet with them – risk is always short staffed and looking for risk champions to work with.

There is lots of free and detailed information on different risk frameworks and standards out there that will give you a feeling if this is the right career path for you.

Looking back on your career, is there anything you would have done differently?

Probably not! Every challenge and learning curve has gotten me where I am today. There are a number of soft skills, such as organisation and documenting thought processes behind how a decision was reached, that had I developed sooner, I may have made my earlier career life easier.

In theory, I would like to embrace technology more actively in my own task and organisational management, however in practice, the struggle to move away from the notebook is real! There is just something about writing your notes and lists down on paper that I haven’t quite been able to move away from.

Progress your career in financial services

Looking to begin or advance your career in financial services? From early career to executive education, IOB’s portfolio of over 40 UCD accredited programmes can help you to strengthen your expertise or broaden your skillset.

You can find out more about IOB’s programmes here.