Head of Credit Research: Henry Midgley

Henry Midgley

MBA, 2020

Based in:

Sydney, Australia

Before Warwick I was based in:

Australia

First job:

Financial Administrator.

Strangest interview question:

“Describe this room”. It was at the end of the interview; they gave me an A4 sheet of paper with a series of questions on it. That was the last one.

Ambitions for the future:

To become a CEO.

Head of Credit Research - Oceania, Moody's

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

I manage all client relationships relating to Moody's credit research across Oceania. This includes all client types: banks, asset managers, and ASX listed corporates, as well as smaller family offices. Having the backing of such a strong brand, with over 100 years of history, a reputation for quality, and a broad client base, means I have a very diverse and interesting role. With the recent focus on AI, my role now has the added benefit of helping these clients derive meaningful time savings and efficiencies leveraging our AI tools as well.

What’s your favourite part of the role?

Dealing with clients. The best way to understand what is happening in a market, where you're doing well, or what you could do better, is straight from the street.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

Understanding my own capabilities and abilities as a leader, as well as understanding how to manage different personality types and conflict.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?

Technical skills will only get you so far - get to know some of the main players and understand what key challenges and opportunities there are. People are much more likely to bring you onboard if you can articulate why they will benefit from your experience, skills, and knowledge.

What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?

Navigating what to do after completing my Warwick MBA. Having already had some experience in financial services, I knew the kind of role I wanted as well as what I didn't want. However, I was based in the UK and looking to return to Australia. Taking some of the skills from the MBA helped me avoid some of the roles I would have been “settling” for and take a more holistic view of where I wanted to take my career.

What should current students or recent alumni be doing to move their careers forward?

Networking – the more people know who you are, the easier it is for them to say yes to giving you a role.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for jobs?

Less is more, and show results not tasks. No one wants to know a list of tasks you've done; they want to see the impact you've made.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in relation to your career?

Even the CEO of a Fortune 500 company is still just a person. Once you realise this, there's no reason to be nervous about an interview or a pitch. Connect with them as a person and have a conversation – you'll be much more likely to have a positive impact.