Alumni Interview –Class of 2000

6. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to enter into the world of investment banking?

Study whatever you like and look to get experience via ‘spring weeks’, internships and via organisations such as Bright Network. Use university societies, alumni of the school and current parents in the school to discover more about pathways and roles in finance. If/when you get the chance: demonstrate a passion (for anything), resilience (how you’ve responded to setbacks) and self-awareness (what you are and aren’t good at?). There are probably tens of books to read but I would start with Ray Dalio’s ‘Principles’ and Scott Galloway’s ‘Algebra of Happiness’. ‘Your Next Five Moves’ by Patrick BetDavid is also good when thinking about any career, not necessarily finance. Last tip, when you’re in your chosen profession: find a good mentor who has the skills to teach you and the personality and patience to do so.

7. What are best and worst aspects of your current role?

I host meetings with management teams of multinational companies and ask them about their strategy, financial performance, ambitions and anything else I want to, and it is a genuine privilege to do so. The worst bit? I’m not playing cricket or helping people in need of emergency care. That and the 4:50 am alarm every day for 18 years and counting.

8. What are your career goals for the future?

I want to fulfil my potential and make myself proud. That potential is constantly evolving while I’m learning, so it is difficult to put a target on it. If I had to say now, I would want to run a well-respected team within UBS. If you want specifics, I (think I) would LOVE to be UK CEO of UBS, but that is beyond my existing comprehension of my potential. Maybe one day…

9. Could you tell us a bit more about your gap years?

I spent 10 months living in France as part of my degree. I worked for Schneider Electric hosting TEFL lessons and interpreting technical instructions from French to English. The work wasn’t particularly fulfilling but the exposure to a big business such as Schneider was far more interesting than I realised at the time and stood me in good stead for working in a similar sized firm later in life. I have incredibly fond memories of the amazing people I met (starting a conversation in an internet café - before the days of 3G or WIFI - led to meeting 12 people with whom I shared much of the following six months), the liberty of living independently in a foreign country and the life skill of being able to communicate with more people in their native language, are all things I would never have achieved without that period in my life. Post-university, I worked at Pizza Express for four months to save money for a flight to New Zealand to fulfil my ambition to play cricket in Auckland during the British winter. When I landed, I bought a £300 car from the side of the road, found a flat share in a newspaper advert and played/coached cricket 4 times a week. I was an average club cricketer, but I think people around the club recognised my desire and the willingness to embrace whatever opportunity I was afforded, and in a roundabout way, it led to the interview at the stockbroker I joined when I returned home. The great thing about independent travel at that age is you can arrive with nothing and leave with nothing, having lived an extraordinary, rewarding, hand to mouth, existence.

10. What are you currently watching on Netflix?

I don’t watch a lot of TV other than live sport (cricket, football, golf, UFC…anything really), but my wife and I are currently most of the way through Season 5 of ‘Drive to Survive’. I love getting a glimpse of a very empirical, highperformance world and seeing how different characters have all reached the top of their game in such different ways. My favourite TV show ever is ‘Afterlife’ by Ricky Gervais…and the ‘Inbetweeners’.