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Tuesday, December 16, 2014
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Former squash champion Miles courts success in Singapore
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GRIMSBY ex-pat has won a top gap in the market. Most young people come to business accolade in South East Singapore to work for a couple of years, and what we were able to do was connect them up Asia.
Miles Gooseman was recently named Young Professional Of The Year with British Chambers of Commerce Singapore. The 35-year-old former town squash champion played a huge role in setting up a Young Chamber in the South East Asian country, while introducing a mentoring scheme that saw inspirational figures help those cutting their teeth in the “Switzerland of the Far East”. It was all done while he excelled in the field of financial services, first with Royal Skandia and now The Fry Group, a British business that offers its expertise around the globe. He provides wealth management and tax advice for high net worth individuals, many of whom are British ex-pats. “I am very proud, and I was a little bit humbled,” Mr Gooseman told Business Telegraph. “There were two other people up against me, superior in business achievement. I think the award was given to me because of the work I have done with young professionals, and running the successful mentoring campaign.” Of the latter, part of his four year chairing of the Young Person’s Business Group, which came to an end last year, he said: “We found a
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with really senior directors. We also managed to get a captain from the American Navy, who led 5,000 troops to rescue people in Japan when the tsunami struck. They would talk about life stories, helping and educating.” “I am very proud to have got the award. It has raised my profile in Singapore.” He became involved when Skandia was approached by the British Chambers of Commerce Singapore, to ask if anyone would help set up a young person’s professional committee. “I was thrown into it, rather than it being something I created,” he said. “From there we were given a blank piece of paper to build something.” That was in 2009, in Mr Gooseman’s early time in Asia, and now more than 500 people have been actively involved. “It has built up nicely,” he said. “I was going to enter the awards a few years ago, but being involved with the Chamber it didn’t feel quite right. “I saw this as the last year I could enter, because I’m getting grey hairs!” Put forward by his company, the work also saw him become one of a select group of people to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they visited Singapore on the Diamond Jubilee Tour in September 2012, at the invitation of the British High Commissioner, Antony Phillipson, who also presented his award. “It was a pat on the back and a real privilege,” he said. The son of “delighted and proud” Julie Holt and Rodger Gooseman, a fourth generation fish merchant who sold up 25 years ago and went on to play a part in the rise of Grimsby payment processing giant Card Save, a young Miles was educated at St Martin’s Preparatory School in Bargate, before boarding at Witham Hall in Bourne and Gresham’s in Norfolk. After graduating with a first class honours degree in marketing from Teesside University, during which time he was awarded the prestigious Taylor Woodrow Prize for the best overall dissertation, Mr Gooseman joined Smith & Nephew, working in medical sales. American financial services company Hartford Life then caught his attention, with the opportunity to set up his own franchise in Scotland. He ran that for five years, topping UK sales in three consecutive years, before the business pulled out as the recession hit. “I lost my job as the company pulled out because of the financial crisis,” he recalled. “I found myself looking for pastures new, and fortunately I was spotted by a company, who moved me out. I’d never been to Singapore or Asia, but that was my path to here.” Of Singapore, he said: “From a business perspective it is the Switzerland of the Far East.
HONOURED AND HUMBLED: Above, Miles Gooseman, second left, receives the Young Professional Of The Year Award from British Chamber of Commerce Singapore board member Hugo Walkinshaw, left, watched by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore Government Minister, third left, and Antony Phillipson, British High Commissioner. Left, Mr Gooseman meets the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, during the 2012 Diamond Jubilee tour. Top, the Singapore skyline. A safe haven for people to place their businesses and their money. It is well regulated and people feel comfortable. It is also a vibrant business centre, and also the most expensive place for ex-pats to live. It is close to some fantastic places, Thailand and Hong Kong are within very easy reach.” Hong Kong holds a particular place in his heart, as he met his fiancee Jessica there. Recently engaged, they met in a bar, while his Australian-Lebanese sweetheart was visiting from Sydney. A long distance relationship ensued, and now they are settling in Singapore, with plans to marry in Australia next year. Looking ahead, Mr Gooseman, who already
manages an £18.5 million portfolio featuring more than 100 individual clients, and in his time has grown business in Singapore by 187 per cent for his company, creating more jobs in an enlarged team, said: “My plan here is to continue to build the client bank with The Fry Group. I have applied for permanent residency in Singapore, which shows my commitment.” Further down the line, and Australia is a new territory which Mr Gooseman is keen to lead The Fry Group into. “In another 10 years, it may be time to live in Sydney,” he said, which may well delight the future Mrs Gooseman, and a 116 year old British business, too.