Meet the Expert: Charles Clist Trainee Area Sales Manager

Charles Clist recently joined Close Brothers as a Trainee Area Sales Manager within our Manufacturing team. Here he shares what his current role involves and what it is about working at Close Brothers that is different.

Tell us about your role and your current responsibilities…

I joined Close Brothers in September 2022 as a Trainee Area Sales Manager in the Manufacturing Division. My role is centred around providing a flexible approach to funding by giving businesses access to the assets they need to perform and grow, without compromising their cash reserves. My current responsibilities involve spending a large proportion of time on the road visiting new and existing customers in the South West of England. When meeting with customers, I look to understand the worth within their business and identify how to access this value without impacting cash flow. It’s great because I get the opportunity to have amazing conversations with business owners about their direction for the future and formulate solutions to their current problems. It’s a bit like problem solving which I find extremely satisfying.

What was your journey to Close Brothers?

I graduated from Cardiff University in 2022 with a goal of one day working in the finance industry. I think my background of playing team sports and being a competitive person led me toward aspiring to work in a sales role. I applied to Close Brothers and thankfully they offered me a position within the Asset

Finance & Leasing Division. It was an amazing opportunity to learn the ropes within the finance industry and I haven’t looked back.

What is it about working for Close Brothers that is different?

For me, I think it’s the people at Close Brothers that have made it such an incredible place to work. In my first few months starting the job it was a very steep learning curve, but I was overwhelmed with the support I received. I thought that due to not having a background in finance, it would be very easy to experience imposter syndrome. However, it was quite the opposite. From the outset I have experienced nothing but support, not just from my team, but colleagues across all divisions of Close Brothers. Additionally, I have a line manager who I speak to most days and can go to for anything; he has been pivotal in my career progression in the short time I’ve been working at Close Brothers.

What’s your favourite part of your role?

Being able to fund the newest machinery which the customer didn’t think they could afford, or extract equity from the assets on the customers’ existing balance sheet and use that value elsewhere is something that opens doors and opportunities for a company. I think being able to help facilitate the growth of a SME or assist a customer out of a difficult financial situation provides an immense sense of fulfilment that I haven’t really experienced before.

Give us an example of how you’ve helped a customer…

I was recently able to support a first-tier aerospace subcontractor by refinancing some of their unencumbered machinery. The company needed to purchase a year’s worth of expensive material in advance; which would have put an unreasonable strain on their cash reserves. The refinance facility allowed them to release the value in their existing assets whilst supporting their growth aspirations.

Tell us one thing people may not know about you…

Whilst growing up, I played both cricket and rugby to a high level. During my time at Millfield School, I broke the school record for the highest individual batting score of 254 in a 50-over match which racked up an innings total score of 492 - the fifth highest total of all time in the UK.

Our teams are specialists in their fields and experts in asset finance. Contact Charles and the team today by visiting closeasset.co.uk/enquiry-form