Since joining the company Zoe Sullivan has come along in leaps and bounds, rapidly rising up the ranks to become a senior account manager in Banc de Binary’s Limassol office. We caught up with her on a sunny summer morning to discuss the demands of being a senior account manager and how she fits this into her active lifestyle.

Thank you for taking the time to have a word with us today, I know you must be very busy.

My pleasure, this is actually the least stressful part of my day, so it’s nice to be able to take a break from the monitors and touch base with you.

So how are you finding things here at Banc de Binary?

It’s a demanding job, I won’t lie, but I’m very well suited to such environments. And generally I think this job attracts a very particular type of individual. A senior account manager’s work is never done, I mean it’s not out of the ordinary for me and my team to pull a 16 hour shift and then to come in bright and early the very next day on a few hours’ sleep. There are a lot of things to keep up to date on, many clients to keep track of and to ensure that they’re getting the very best service from us.

What attracted you to the position in the first place?

I suppose I wanted to test myself. I like the fact that I can stay focused and keep sight of my goals no-matter the situation. I tend to perform better when the chips are down whereas I’ve seen lots of people crack under the pressure. Also, it’s very interesting to be a woman in such a male-dominated environment and to be able to mix it up with the best of them and earn their respect.

Did you find that you had to do a lot more to prove yourself in the beginning?

No, not at all. It’s not like I’d imagine being a stock broker was in the 80s. The results speak for themselves, and as soon as they see how you perform, how you address the clients, what your attitude is to the job, and to life in general, they know you’re one of them.

What’s your favourite part of the job?

I like the camaraderie between the team members. We’re the only ones who get to see this specific side of company life and so naturally it bonds us together in weird ways that you don’t get to experience with other members of staff. We keep the same hours, we’re immersed in the markets in such an obsessive way, we work hard and play hard together, it’s almost like a secret society. It’s funny, you can stop yourself sometimes and not be able to remember the last time you went out somewhere without there being at least one other senior account manager present!

How have you been able to adapt to the demands of the job; the long days, the disrupted sleep patterns, taking your meals at odd hours?

That’s actually one of the harder aspects of being a senior account manager, the demands it places on you physically. It’s definitely the kind of job where you can slip into bad habits very easily, and the weeks just shoot by so quickly that you don’t realise how long you’ve been stealing forty winks here and there and having pizza before bed. I’m pretty disciplined though, it’s important to me that my life is in balance so even with demands of the job I make the time to get to the gym and work up a sweat, or to just take a break from it all and go for a walk on the beach, or for a coffee with a friend who doesn’t want to discuss Bollinger bands or Fibonacci retracements! Thank God the markets are closed on the weekend is all I can say.

So, what is your attitude to life then?

I try not to take things too seriously, or to get caught up in that rat race where every other person out there becomes some kind of an obstacle to your own ego. It’s fascinating how a few simple things can really work wonders on your peace of mind. Treat others like actual human beings, make eye contact, no-matter who they are and give them the time of day. Also recognise that nothing is permanent and that’s okay, adaptability is everything.

You can contact Zoe Sullivan directly at: [email protected]