Robert Evans

Robert Evans, a team lead on the Hedge Fund Services Product Solutions team, joined Northern Trust in 2011 as part of an acquisition. He supported external clients on the Omnium platform, an investment management software, before transitioning to the product solutions team.

What unique traits do you bring to your role and how does it impact your perspective? 

As a man of faith, I believe that we all have talents and gifts. Somehow, someway, you need to find out how that intersects with humanity. Everyone has a need. How can I help meet that need? How can I bring value to the people I connect with? I just take that philosophy with me.

When we were hiring team leads, my manager encouraged me to go for one of the spots. I had already been managing and mentoring people, and she wanted me to use that experience. So now I get to be that mentor and leader to guide teammates on their career path

What sets Northern Trust apart from other companies? What is surprising about working here?   

On my team, maybe one or two people have the technical understanding, but collectively we’re even stronger because everyone on the team has a voice. Our experiences and expertise lie in different areas and that makes our team stronger. Diversity is appreciated on multiple levels, not just ethnic and cultural, but also diversity in different skill sets and experiences.

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

I had the opportunity to travel to India to lead the transition from one support team to another. The result was so seamless that almost no one realized they were working with a different team, including some of the relationship managers. We minimized the impact on clients while also moving to multi-factor authentication. A great example of a team effort spread out across different regions.

Describe an unexpected outcome that you learned from.

I had applied for a role on the product solutions team, which I didn’t get, but was offered a new role as part of the team’s reorg. I accepted, but then I was having a challenging time finding my value on the team.

I stayed on and was fortunate to work on the migration of a legacy system. As a subject matter expert, I was able to contribute in a unique way because I had direct access to project managers and software developers who I worked with before. From my previous role, I also had the client-facing perspective to make sure their needs were met.

Going for a new role and stretching myself was one of the best career decisions that I've ever made.

Think of your best managers. What qualities make a good manager?  

Good managers prepare you for your next role. My former manager and mentor always gave me authentic and candid advice. The communication line was always there.

The funny thing is, now my mentor is my teammate. He came back to Northern Trust about a month ago and it’s come full circle. It really confirmed I am where I should be.

What advice would you give to people exploring a career at Northern Trust? 

Be honest and candid in sharing your story. You're being interviewed, but you're interviewing as well.