Meet Graham

Growing up, I was enamored with astrophysics – I’ve always been a problem solver with a mathematical and analytical focus – but chemistry and I didn’t get along too well. Thus, I pursued business operations in my studies and came to realize the importance that data and information have in making successful business decisions.

When a friend offered me a job working nights as a system administrator for Lloyds Chemist, I jumped at the opportunity. I moved to London not long after and spent the next 20 years in a variety of roles including data management, business analysis, data design and architecture. During this time, though I worked in many different industries, the one I really loved was investment banking. Whether it was building real-time data feeds for Reuters or master-data models for Waitrose, data and information have always been my passion.

I joined BNY Mellon as a data architect three years ago and have worked on many different projects to improve the way we interact with data and information. I firmly believe that data is the company’s greatest asset, and you will often hear me singing this message loud and proud to anyone who will listen!

One of the things I love about BNY Mellon is the diversity of people, ideas, opinions, skills and abilities, challenges and approaches. It never gets boring here, and there is always something new to discover or get involved in. It’s a place where people will always do whatever they can to share their knowledge with you and are equally willing to learn from you.

I joined the GENEDGE Reverse Mentoring Program exactly for that reason. I was paired with my mentee, Vish, which has been a great learning experience as we come from very different backgrounds with different roles and areas of expertise. I’ve taken many of the ideas and concepts that have come up in our conversations and applied them to other areas of my day-to-day work.

It’s those opportunities, and BNY Mellon’s “Passion for Excellence” value, that encourage me to spend every day helping individuals and teams find a better way to do the things they do. It’s important to not just help colleagues climb the tree in front of them, but find a better way to climb it (and to confirm that it’s the right tree to begin with!).

Outside of work, I am an avid traveler (before the pandemic changed the world, of course). I’ve been to every continent except Antarctica multiple times as well as most states within the United States. I’m also a massive fan of engineering, storytelling, psychology and stage magic – so it’s probably not a surprise that my wife and I have been to Walt Disney World in Florida for at least three weeks every year since 2013. And we don’t drag kids along as an excuse, either!