“Having diverse thinkers helps us make better decisions”

Esra Turk’s career in financial services has taken her from corporate finance to the trading floor to emerging markets. She shares what drew her to this “energising” industry, her experiences as a working mother, and why Barclays’ “true team spirit” makes the bank stand out.

At secondary school in Istanbul, Esra Turk says she knew very little about the world of banking. She was captivated by classical music and played the piano for 13 years – but she also harboured a love for maths. It was this, and a desire to forge an international career, that put her on the path to what has become a successful career in finance.

“I loved maths more than anything, and I wanted to find a role that had a quantitative aspect to it, but I had no idea about the financial services industry,” she explains. “What appealed to me was that it was an international profession. I decided to study business at university, and in my course, finance was my favourite topic.”

Fast forward to today and Esra is Head of Emerging Markets Sales and Origination, EMEA and Americas and Chairman of Middle East North Africa at Barclays Investment Bank. Her career has seen her work for five different banks, across a variety of different roles, from corporate finance and debt capital markets to derivatives and cross-asset emerging markets sales, structuring and origination. Since she started out, the landscape has changed considerably – but it’s clear that her passion for finance and sense of curiosity has always been a driving force.

“When I first started in Corporate Finance, I was fascinated by the work my colleagues from the graduate programme were doing in Markets,” Esra says. “They talked about ‘yield curves’ and ‘swaps’, which were all foreign to me. I persuaded my management at the time to let me redo my associate training programme and began my career on the trading floor.”

Her decision paid off. The dynamism and energy of financial markets were a perfect match for Esra’s enthusiasm.

“I loved the fast-paced environment and the whole creativity that comes with that central hub, people from all over the world with trading backgrounds, structuring, research and sales. It all just comes together. The idea generation needed to solve a complex issue that a client is facing is incredibly energising.”

Having garnered an abundance of product knowledge working across different areas of the industry, a new role focussing on Turkey gave Esra the opportunity to combine her varied fields of financial expertise. “Having worked through different aspects of banking, I felt after 10 years of experience I could bring it all together and that was very satisfying,” she says.

“This area of specialisation really helped me to connect with international investors and corporates who were looking to invest either on a portfolio basis or longer term in Turkey in a credible way.”

It was as Head of Turkey that she joined Barclays in 2009. Over the last 11 years, Esra has been able to grow her career at Barclays beyond Turkey, in an impressive range of roles spanning the Investment Bank’s many businesses and functions.

Overcoming self-doubt

Balancing a busy career with her home-life hasn’t always been easy. “There were a lot of obstacles at certain points and especially when I had my children,” Esra says. “Even though I chose to have a flexible arrangement at the time, working full-time on deals and roadshows whilst having small kids was tough.”

In the face of such career challenges, she believes that perseverance and determination are crucial, “not just in banking, but in life”. 

She cites the example of being offered the opportunity to manage the bank’s sales business in the Middle East: “I had spent all these years not doing as much with my career because I consciously chose to spend time with my kids. I knew that now was the time for me to take on this challenge.”

She says a strong and supportive professional network has been vital in supporting her growth: “I was later given the opportunity to take on a bigger job at Barclays Non-Core, but I had some hesitation because it was a role I hadn’t done before. However, one of my mentors said I shouldn’t think twice about it. She made me see the relevance of what I had already done which would help me do the job successfully. It was a very easy decision after that session with her.”

Moving the needle

Esra remains committed to supporting her colleagues in the same way that she was supported throughout her career. Discussing her mentoring role, she says she has grown through the process of giving guidance to others. “It allows me to see an issue not just from my perspective, but from the perspective of my mentees. For example, I recently had my first mentoring meeting with a colleague, who’s dyslexic like me. I only discovered recently that I’m dyslexic, so I learn about myself while trying to help him. I find that very rewarding.”

Likewise, as Executive Sponsor of Win, Barclays’ gender network, in London and Diversity Champion for the Markets business, Esra is passionate about fostering an inclusive culture at the bank.

“It’s incredibly important to have diversity of thought and an inclusive culture where we are able to challenge one another,” she says. “Having a more diverse group of thinkers from different backgrounds helps us make better decisions.”

When she started out in the industry, Esra says, investment banking was a different world and some of the initiatives Barclays has recently implemented – such as having a gender balanced promotion committee for director and managing director promotions – would have been unthinkable. “This was not something I’d heard of in the industry, even more recently. I think this shows that it is possible to make meaningful progress.”

Looking forward, she says the bank is taking a proactive approach in terms of gender diversity in sales and trading: “We are looking at Markets-wide gender and diversity issues, and taking action. We’re thinking about how we can move the needle, whether it’s tactical, strategic or more structural. I recently presented some of the initiatives we’re thinking of implementing at our Markets Executive Committee and there was incredible support from our senior management. I’m really excited about that.”

Barclays’ “true team spirit”

Esra advises women thinking of applying to a role in finance to be confident in their abilities. “Looking back, I would tell my 20-year-old self to have that inner confidence and not to doubt myself,” she says.

“I joined Barclays with great expectations and all of those expectations have been exceeded. What’s very special about Barclays is our culture. It’s very unique, very collaborative. We’re competitive externally, but internally very supportive of each other. There is a true team spirit that differentiates us.

“If you love what you do, Barclays will challenge you and help you grow. It’s a great opportunity and one I would strongly recommend for those looking to start a career in investment banking.”