Page Faustino is part of a global team who are the third line of defense and third set of eyes that try to spot any irregularities in Northern Trust operations. A friend of hers who works at Northern Trust initially pushed her to research the opportunities at Northern Trust.  Once she did she knew Northern Trust was the right fit for her. The perks and the hybrid set-up and time flexibility we offer have made her feel right at home.

Hear more from Page below.

 

Describe your role at Northern Trust

I am working as an Auditor at Northern Trust.

We are often referred to as the faultfinders or someone who has a quota on finding mistakes. In reality, our job is to help management ensure that the operations and all other corporate functions are being performed in accordance with the company’s policies and all other applicable regulations.

We are the third line of defense, we are the third set of eyes that try to spot any irregularities or lapses which were not previously detected. We don’t intend to find mistakes, we just base our conclusions on existing documents and other evidences and this is actually our way of trying to prevent any negative impact or losses that may occur in the future.

 

Describe your team

I am part of the Audit Services – Manila team, under the supervision of Rhei Canlas. I am directly reporting to Toff Melodias locally and Julie Humphrey functionally as a member of the Chief Risk Office / Capital Markets team.

I have spent some time with my colleagues in Manila and the partners I have worked with from London and Chicago, and I can say that the team consists of many intellectual and talented people who also know how to have fun at the same time.

They know their strengths and expertise yet everyone is still so welcoming and humble. They share their knowledge and appreciate all the little contributions along the way.

Needless to say, I am happy to be in the team!

 

 

Take us through how you ended up at Northern? What brought you to Northern Trust?

I was a Field Audit Officer in a renowned local bank for almost five (5) years prior to my journey with Northern Trust. I spent the early years of my career doing fieldwork and focusing on Branch audit. I had always enjoyed my job until I realized that I wanted to try something new that will help me progress in my career.

I looked for opportunities everywhere, attended some interviews, and read employees’ firsthand experiences to be able to assess and choose the best company that fits my needs and liking.

Luckily, I have a friend who has a friend that is currently working at Northern Trust. Her friend’s feedback captured my attention as she mentioned some of the characteristics of my “ideal type” on the search of my new employer – hybrid environment, and with great culture; without hesitation, I searched for Northern Trust on LinkedIn.

Fortunately, there was an opening for an Auditor position that time, so I applied and gave it my best shot. I got in and I can confirm that my friend of friend’s feedback is accurate.

Right now, I’m focusing on adapting to the new work culture and improving myself to perform my duties well. I have always enjoyed audit and I think I would still be an audit girlie in the next few years, but I am not closing my doors to all the possibilities.

My main goal is to be better each year and unlock new levels of career milestone with Northern Trust.

 

What are you most proud of in your career at Northern Trust so far?

Northern Trust is my first multinational company so I think the biggest adjustment I had so far is in terms of communication. I believe that I can always learn the technical things when it comes to work itself so I am most proud of how confident I am right now in communicating in straight English.

It was not usual for me and I started feeling awkward and anxious but everyone that I have talked to were supportive and nonjudgmental which made it easier to be comfortable in speaking the language. It’s also fun knowing that I get to communicate with people from different countries.

 

When did you realize that Northern Trust was a good fit for your career?

I initially decided that this is the company for me based on a friend of friend’s feedback but when I got in, I found more reasons to believe that this is the company that I will be with for a long period of time.

Northern Trust has a lot of perks which are truly pro-employee but I love the hybrid set-up and the time flexibility the best. As someone who lives in a province hours away from the office, it is such a good opportunity to be able to work from home 2x per week to save time and transport expenses. Also, I like how flexible we can work as the company measures productivity based on outputs delivered and not just on consecutive hours worked.

I can guarantee that Northern Trust has a really good culture and working environment based on my personal experience.

 

What technology/technologies have you been excited to work with here at Northern Trust?

I am honestly excited for the paperless system since Northern Trust has an audit software wherein you can place all your workpapers without the need to manually print and file those. I think this is a great investment that saves paper and a lot of time for the auditors. Although I am not yet that knowledgeable on how to smoothly operate the software, I know that this is way better than an all-manual set-up.

 

What has surprised you most about life at Northern Trust so far?

First thing that surprised me was you can call everyone, I mean even the highest-ranking officer, by their first name. This feels very different and a culture shock for someone who came from a local company in the Philippines. It is actually quite hard to practice and implement at first, but I understand its purpose and am now more comfortable with it.

It is to help you not to feel inferior towards other partners and it actually feels good that you can talk to anyone about anything without the barriers of rank and age. It is like establishing respect without the need for honorifics.

 

How do you create a balance between work and home?

I may not be in my teenage years anymore but still, I love staying at home with my family the most. I make sure that I utilize my work hours so I can enjoy my time after work.

Aside from being an auditor from Monday-Friday, I am a K-pop fan 24/7. This hobby of mine keeps me entertained and motivated as I have a lot of bills to pay (because of albums, merch, and concerts).

In addition, going out once in a while with family and friends is something that makes my weekends more meaningful and enjoyable.

 

What would you say to someone considering a career at Northern Trust?

If you want a place that will consider you as a partner and not just as an employee, with a generous pay, monthly-given allowances, health benefits with 2 dependents, healthy working environment, supportive peers, and flexible work schedule, well, I guess you found the one. 😉

 

 

Fast Facts

Name: Page Faustino

Role: Auditor

Business Unit: Audit – Capital Markets

Geographic Location: Manila

Education: BS: Accountancy

Hometown – My hometown is in Bulacan, but I’m currently renting in Makati near the office.

Do you have a pet(s)? – Yes! We have pets at home named Chimin, Peanut, Missing, and Almond!

What are you reading / podcast recommendation – This may be weird but I’m into true crime stories and the latest podcast I listened to was Stephanie Soo’s Rotten Mango episodes lol

Comfort food – Sinigang and ice cream!

Best advice you’ve received – “Happiness is not something that you have to achieve. You can still feel happy during the process of achieving something.”

If you could have dinner with any person alive today, who would it be – Park Jimin!

Describe Northern Trust in one word: Partner

 

Careers at Northern Trust

Come find your greater at Northern Trust. Review our open roles here.