Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a Chartered Accountant that has been round the block almost as many times as Steve Dunwell – just in better quality neighbourhoods. Married with 4 children (2 girls, 2 boys) between 16 and 23 who are all living at home at the moment so as you can guess, the domestic atmosphere is somewhere between a tinder box and a powder keg, especially when you add a 7 month old puppy into the mix. I’m looking forward to the end of lockdown so that I can demonstrate my new found talent of walking on eggshells.
Since qualifying, I have held a number of roles in finance including Group Accountant for a Financial Services PLC, Finance Director for an SME engineering business, Business Development Manager for two asset based lenders and spells in reorganisation services before joining Reach. If anyone wants my opinion, LC is the best firm I have worked in for the simple fact that while everybody talks about teamwork and family feel until they are blue in the face, LC is the only firm I have worked in that actually live by that approach.
How do you plan out your working day?
I have never been a great one for making lists and tend to think out a plan for the day the night before (subject to the odd panic on checking emails in the morning).
What’s your desk and workspace like?
I love paperless working and after several roles with no office base, I am happy with a laptop, phone, notebook and biro and where they are sat doesn’t worry me at all. Currently my desk is one corner of our kitchen island, perched on a bar stool. It’s a seating arrangement I am familiar with, it’s close to the coffee machine and I can let the dog in and out of the garden when necessary.
Tell us about your approach with clients
It doesn’t matter whether a client wants £50k or £50m, they have put their trust in us and deserve us to do them right so deliver the best you can every time. Always think ‘what would I want if I were the client’ and always be honest.
Who is the most interesting client you’ve dealt with?
Dealing with Marco Pierre White funding one of his restaurants in London was pretty interesting. He wasn’t a bad cook in his day.
What do you do to escape the world of funding?
Living in Wiltshire we have plenty of countryside to get lost in and recently we have set ourselves the target of walking the length of the Ridgeway footpath. I only stopped playing rugby a couple of years ago and now get my regular fix by going to Bath to watch games with the Mrs. Invariably the rugby is dreadful but my youngest son manages one of the bars in the ground so at least the cider is plentiful and reasonably discounted.