New Member of the Navigator Team

By Nick Crawley on April 7 2010

Daniel has joined the Sydney team as an Account Manager. With a decade and more experience as a Relationship Manager in the institutional clients teams of both Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse in Australia and Switzerland. Daniel who is Swiss, speaks fluent English, French and German and of course, Swiss. Daniel brings a passion for challenging and building enduring client relationships and is focused on business development for our advisory and modelling services.

15+ years in corporate finance environment
10+ years in client relationship management
Previous employers include Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and UBS

1. So, what do you do?

As an Account Manager I am responsible for generating new Accounts for the Project Finance Advisory & Modelling Services and the ongoing management of those accounts, predominantly in Australia. I also assist our Managing Director, Nick Crawley, in maintaining existing clients and the day to day activities of ensuring our clients receive world class service.

2. Why have you chosen a career in the project finance industry?

In my former role as a Relationship Manager for institutional clients, I came across many interesting Project Finance transactions that subsequently had to be handed over to the Structured Finance teams. As a Project Finance novice, I believe that Project Finance includes almost every financial subsector and requires a universe of skills from analytical modelling, through to accounting / tax and a broad scope of sector-specific experience, as well as relationship management. It’s the financial Champions League – and everyone would love to play!

3. What was your first job? What is your background?

My professional life in the Banking and Finance industry began in Switzerland at age sixteen. I started as a Bank Apprentice and since then have held various client management roles in prestigious financial institutions across two continents and managing institutional clients in English, French or German.

4. What did you study and how does it help you in this role?

I studied Business Administration (BBA) with a Major in Banking & Finance which always helps – even if on a subliminal level – in handling my daily Sales and Admin related tasks. I understand our clients challenges well enough to ensure the right team member speaks to them at the right time.

5. Describe a typical day

That’s a hard question as every day has its own rules. Let me try. First thing in the morning is usually dominated by scanning the industry press, checking the industry press and our web registrations. A meeting with a prospective client is a typical day’s highlight followed by general admin and proposal writing in the afternoon. Later on, an industry-specific event or roadshow generally wraps up the day.

6. What is the most rewarding part of your work?

Easy! Providing customer satisfaction by focusing on beneficial solutions for specific individual needs is my daily motivation – it’s definitely rewarding and just so happens to be the way Navigator works – perfect!

7. What is on your agenda for 2010?

In the short-term I am meeting our existing clients and understanding Navigator’s position in this fascinating market. At the same time I am also involved in re-structuring our sales process to ensure that as Navigator expands our clients experience is smooth and unfaltering. I am also scheduling tours of different parts of this huge country to meet prospective clients all over Australia and then….the world?!