Pros

Great people
Space to shape your own role
Flexibility to do things our own way
Diversity of individuals, not a "clone copy" of one another
Very global thinking and acting
International opportunites
Career mobility if you manage it yourself
Survived the market crash well
Pretty good pay compared to some competitors

Cons

Disorganised
Slow decision making
Not a meritocracy - promotions and pay are political
Pay not linked to performance
Poor senior leadership
Our of date technology and processes
Short term initiatives rather than long term strategies

Advice to Senior Management

Do something about the culture of no differentiation for performance, but retain the freedom and flexibilty that comes from the fact that our people are all very different rather than the clones of other Financial Services firms - like Goldman, for example. Find a way to make the most of the people you manage to attract.