Ed Fillbrook was 21 when he walked into a boardroom full of seasoned finance professionals and decided he belonged there just as much as anyone else.
As a junior partner at BB Merchant Services in Cardiff, Ed has built a career in the fast-moving world of payments and cash management – and with the Certificate in Payments and Cash Management (CPCM) under his belt, he turned one of his biggest perceived weaknesses into his greatest professional strength.
His story is proof that transaction banking isn't just for the experienced. It's for anyone hungry enough to go after it. Here's what he's learned along the way.
What attracted you to the transaction banking industry
What attracted me to the transaction banking industry, I think was mainly the fact that cash and payments in general are really under scrutiny at the moment, especially with bank branches closing. It's a real area in the media that's being talked about a lot. So being able to dive into the nitty gritty of payments and cash management was a real interest to me.
How did you get your start in transaction banking and did you have any concerns?
So how I got started in transaction banking was I originally started working in the accounts payable function of BB Merchant Services, and from there I took a general interest into what the company did, which was analysing payments and cash management fees. From there I moved to Cardiff and I joined the analyst team, and I've been there ever since.
I chose payments and cash management as a career path mainly because it's such a fascinating industry and there's so much to it. Once you really dive into the pricing and what everything means and how everything works, there's so much more to payments and cash management than people realise, and that just fascinated me.
Being young in such a specialised industry like payments and cash management. Before I joined, there was always concern in my mind that my age may reflect my knowledge.
So there's sometimes a perception whereby if your age reflects your knowledge, then being young reflects being unknowledgeable, which of course isn't the case.
Can you describe a moment when your age became a barrier in a professional situation?
A time when my age became a barrier in a professional setting is a very vivid memory for me. I was in client meeting in the outskirts of London and they were doing a round the table discussion of a pricing proposal that had just been put forward and they were going round the room and just skipped right over me.
And the only differentiating factor was the fact that I was 21 and everyone else in the room was at a minimum 55, 60 years old.
How I got my share of voice in that meeting was mainly. I had to really exert myself, right? I had to really butt-in and say, what I think is X, Y, Z. I couldn't just let myself be skipped over. So you have to put yourself out there and almost answer a question that was never asked of you.
The positive impact of me voicing my opinion was that it was heard. And once it's heard and your point has merit, then suddenly going forward, you'll be asked your opinion, you'll be consulted. So it breaks that barrier that your age reflects a lack of knowledge.
Does Ed's story inspire you to study with LIBF?
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What 3 strategies would you recommend to other young professionals looking to overcome age barriers
I think the three pieces for me to break the barrier of age in a professional setting would be number one, to chase qualifications, like the Certificate in Payments and Cash Management, because immediately you are then an industry expert in something. You have a qualification and you are an expert in that field. The CPCM qualification has helped me demonstrate that I am an industry expert. I hold a qualification in the specialised field of payments and cash management. But not only that, it demonstrates that I have a want to be in this industry. I want to learn about it, and I want to be an industry expert,
The second strategy to establish yourself as an industry expert would be to use tools like LinkedIn. LinkedIn is great for getting your voice and your knowledge out to people. LinkedIn can be used by young people a lot more to engage clients and build up a client database. Posting about what you do, shouting about what you do and who you are, can really help bring life to your services.
I think the third strategy to establish yourself as an industry expert, despite your age, is to utilise the people around you, your professional network. They may have knowledge that you don't, and if you're able to gather all that knowledge from them and constantly learn, then your age won't be a barrier.
What tips do you have for young professionals to excel in face-to-face environments?
I think some strategies for young people to excel in a face-to-face environment is number one, showing up. If you go to a network event in London for example, you'll notice there's not many people under the age of 30. And that's because many young people don't have the confidence to go. So start by going to these events and then if you're not confident in talking about what you do and who you are, then even just listening, shaking someone's hand and just listening to what they do gets your name out there and it builds your confidence.
Can you share a breakthrough moment when a client chose to work with you?
A really vivid memory of a breakthrough moment when a client decided to progress with us and our services was I was on a client call with their CFO. And they were basically describing their property management system. Because they were a hotel chain and they used a really specific PMS system. And my knowledge of the integrations, the fact that I knew exactly which acquirer they used based on that information, that instantly put me in a position where they perceived me as an industry expert.
And it was a eureka moment in their mind, because they immediately said "Let's do this, let's benchmark those merchant service fees with that provider."
So that was a real breakthrough moment for me personally and professionally. With regards to my confidence, it was the first time I was perceived as an expert by a client. And so what that did for me was it built up my confidence immediately and it gave me a hunger to want to learn more, to want to network more.
I wanted to talk to more clients because it's a great feeling being young and yet being perceived as an industry expert.
What does it mean to you when clients give you positive feedback for your work?
Getting positive feedback from a client genuinely means the world. I've had testimonials written about myself and my services by clients that I've brought in before, and the feeling is genuinely unmatched because it shows that you, despite your age, have come into an industry. You've made a difference to a client, and they've actually put that on paper and written that down it.
The feeling is unmatchable.
What you will learn
- The structure and infrastructure of the global payments industry
- How payments and liquidity are managed across banking and corporate sectors
- The economic value, systemic importance and interconnectivity of payment systems
- And much much more!
Why did you decide to pursue the CPCM qualification early in your career?
So I chose to pursue the Certificate in Payments and Cash Management because my age was a barrier to the industry that I chose to go in. Being young reflects a lack of knowledge, but having CPCM means that you clearly are knowledgeable about your chosen field.
What I enjoyed most about the Certificate in Payments and Cash Management was that as well as having a focus on payments and cash management, it also had sections on card payments, so merchant services, which meant it covered all parts of payments, not just a specific part of payments, and I really like that broad array of topics.
How has the CPCM impacted your career?
So holding the CPCM qualification has made genuine material impact on client meetings with finance and treasury teams. I've had finance directors ask me, who gave me the CPCM qualification and what did it cover? And then suddenly you get to talk about payments and cash management with these seasoned professionals in a way where you are not unknowledgeable. You are someone who has a qualification in that field.
One of the most valuable things I got from the CPCM course was genuinely the use of acronyms. If you work in the world of finance and treasury, you will notice everyone speaks in acronyms. The CPCM course immediately tells you what everything means so that when you're talking to someone and they start talking in acronyms you are able to follow the conversation.
How has the CPCM impacted your career?
So holding the CPCM qualification has made genuine material impact on client meetings with finance and treasury teams. I've had finance directors ask me, who gave me the CPCM qualification and what did it cover? And then suddenly you get to talk about payments and cash management with these seasoned professionals in a way where you are not unknowledgeable. You are someone who has a qualification in that field.
One of the most valuable things I got from the CPCM course was genuinely the use of acronyms. If you work in the world of finance and treasury, you will notice everyone speaks in acronyms. The CPCM course immediately tells you what everything means so that when you're talking to someone and they start talking in acronyms you are able to follow the conversation.
Would you recommend the LIBF and CPCM to other young professionals?
I would absolutely recommend the LIBF to any young person who wants to go into trading transaction banking. Holding the CPCM qualification from LIBF has genuinely skyrocketed my career and also my confidence.
Confidence follows credibility
Ed's journey shows just how much is possible when you back yourself early. With the right mindset, the right network, and the right qualifications, there's no reason young professionals can't thrive in transaction banking and trade finance.
The Certificate in Payments and Cash Management (CPCM) from LIBF gave Ed the industry credibility to walk into any room with confidence. It could do the same for you.
Explore the CPCM with LIBF and build your future today.
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Build expertise in payment systems, regulations, and risks
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- Earn 36 CPD hours towards your trade finance recertification