Over the past year, world events including the ongoing strife between Russia and Ukraine and daily dispatches from the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East have increasingly shaped the investment bank's debt offerings and bond issuance. But even in this chaotic environment shaped by "geopolitical unrest, market-moving elections and central bank pivots," Barbara Mariniello, global co-head of debt capital markets at Barclays, noted that it is "more important than ever to be level-headed, and not overreact to short-term market moves."
Since she was elevated to her current role roughly 18 months ago, Mariniello has continued to balance emerging opportunities with implementing long-term "growth initiatives" such as putting in place the treasury coverage model. Cited by Mariniello as one of her greatest achievements this past year, the initiative within Barclays' investment banking unit is expected to "drive revenues and improve returns."
"It's important to be thoughtful about risks and creative in taking advantage of opportunities to help clients navigate choppy markets," she said.
Mariniello said that she and her team had the foresight to position Barclays debt capital business in order to manage risk. As debt issuance has been increasing year over year, Barclays' deal count has been "astronomical in certain regions and sectors," according to Mariniello.
Perhaps not surprisingly, one of her greatest challenges in recent months has been "helping our teams balance that increased workload," Mariniello said. In response, the debt capital markets team has been working closely with Barclays' IT department and recently introduced "a new tech platform to automate some of our internal pricing processes to make the job more efficient for our team," she said.
Mariniello values making the time to mentor younger female executives, in part to pass along "the great mentoring" she herself received over the years and to help other women rise through the ranks. "It's important to share the challenges that we've faced and methods that have and haven't worked to overcome them so they can learn from our journey," said Mariniello, who has also co-chaired Barclays' female vice presidents network over the last several years.
With potential impactful national elections on the horizon, uncertain global interest rates and political maelstroms emerging around the globe, Mariniello knows she and her debt capital team have their work cut out for them. "Most rising executives will have experienced market ups and downs as they've risen through the ranks," she said. "Drawing on those experiences should help give you the perspective you need to manage a business through market volatility."
