Lucy Bolton: Fostering, Maintaining, and Enhancing High-Level Relationships with Clients

Lucy Bolton’s skillful ability to connect with clients is one of the key reasons she is an influential leader in the finance industry. As Head of Senior Relationship Management (SRM), UK and Europe at TD Securities, she directly engages and supports European clients and coordinates with other SRMs on global strategic initiatives. Lucy works to ensure the best outcome for clients across regions and products.

An authentic and transparent leadership approach has helped Lucy develop deep, long-lasting relationships. What really sets her apart as a leader is her ability to read situations, understand different perspectives, and respond with emotional intelligence. As a result, she has also gained the trust and respect of her global team members and peers.

Pursuing a Career in Finance

Lucy always had an interest in business and finance. Whilst studying at the University of Cambridge, she explored the many learning opportunities and further education offered. “This gave me exposure and broadened my horizons as to the types of roles and opportunities available which, along with a genuine interest in global markets and the dynamic environment of banking, led me to pursue this career,” Lucy says.

For most of her career, Lucy has worked in the Fixed Income Sales space. Over the years, she has served a diverse range of clients, including global asset managers, hedge funds, insurers, and bank treasuries. Finance is a fast-paced, ever-changing field. “Every day is different with so much diversity,” Lucy says. “I continue to find working in finance truly fascinating, exciting, and intellectually stimulating.”

Achievements at TD Securities

As a North American investment bank with global reach, the SRM role at TD Securities was previously only in North America. Lucy sees the establishment and growth of her SRM role in the UK and Europe as a major highlight of her career at TD Securities, highlighting how the business has expanded. “The role is global in nature and there is continual communication between regions,” she says.

With recent acquisitions TD Securities has expanded its product offering and this has enabled additional client marketing opportunities which have enhanced client relationships further.

As the business is expanding, internal coordination and communication is more crucial than ever, says Lucy.

Dealing with Challenges

“There are challenges within most banking roles as markets can be volatile,” Lucy points out. For example, the challenges encountered during the 2022 liability-driven investment (LDI) crisis. Navigating times of crisis involves a constant management of interest rate risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, duration risk, and re-investment risk.

Lucy says that everyone’s stress levels, including hers, are usually high when solving time-sensitive challenges. “Remaining calm, focused, efficient with strong communication and organization helps in these situations,” she adds.

In her current role, fluctuations caused by market volatility and economic uncertainty continue to be a key challenge. Lucy maintains client trust by helping them adapt their strategies whilst also maintaining organizational priorities.

“Senior relationship management is about maintaining long-term business relationships and aligning client objectives with the organization’s capabilities to foster mutual growth and success, even during challenging times,” she says.

A Not-So-Typical Work Routine

Lucy’s workdays are particularly varied week on week. On the way to the office, she checks market updates and news to understand the “broader landscape” that could impact clients. Once in the office, she joins morning meetings, catches up on any overnight business and often connects with her colleagues in Singapore.

To generate new business or expand relationships, Lucy meets with clients, introduces new teams or products, does presentations, and develops proposals. She also takes time out to analyse performance with specific clients, identify growth opportunities, and work on strategies to enhance the relationship. “This includes doing reviews and reporting internally and externally on certain key features,” Lucy says.

Developing tailored strategies and financial solutions for clients requires collaboration across multiple product areas such as Fixed Income, FX, Equities, Global Equity Derivatives, or Repo. “This means also connecting with colleagues in other regions,” she says. “We discuss client needs, new client opportunities, and align and update strategies across regions.”

She also engages with operations, onboarding, risk, credit, and compliance teams, which ensures an entirely holistic approach towards a client and keeps her aware of new developments in these areas.

In the evening, she frequently joins clients for drinks and dinners to discuss macro trends, or attends events, such as internal team building or networking events. Lucy wraps up her day by reflecting on what transpired.  “While each day is different based on client needs or market events, the role requires flexibility, organisation, and a strategic focus to ensure client satisfaction and business growth,” she says.

The Leadership Style

“I mostly characterize the authentic leadership approach with a mix of some democratic leadership as well,” Lucy says. She believes in being self-aware, genuine, and transparent. She shares that her authentic leadership has “naturally evolved” because of maintaining a high level of integrity and leading with values that align with her personal beliefs.

When she was serving in a fixed-income sales position, it soon became apparent to her that large institutional asset managers always appreciated a holistic and collaborative approach, which enables efficient communication. Now, she believes in leading through collaboration, transparency, hard work, and commitment. “It is also important to consistently have a high level of integrity, courtesy, and kindness,” Lucy says.

“Being genuine and leading with values that align with one’s personal beliefs creates trust and loyalty,” she adds. “This is invariably reciprocated creating a positive and inclusive culture.” She underscores that this ultimately leads to a stronger organisational commitment and performance.

In the SRM role, relational transparency and communication are key as well as objectively analysing information before making decisions and considering various perspectives. Involving others in decision making can be empowering, ensuring the right solution is collectively achieved.

Work-Life Balance

Lucy is a mother to two young boys, so she often juggles a long to-do list at home as well as at work. Prioritising tasks and staying organized allows her to be fully present in each situation.

Lucy credits the support of her family, friends, and reliable childcare for alleviating a lot of her stress. “It also helps that TD is an inclusive and supportive workplace with a fantastic culture and team spirit,”. Both Lucy and her husband work full-time and therefore make sure to relax with family and friends on weekends. She says, “This helps maintain a healthy balance.”