“I started work at age 12 to pay for horse riding lessons. By 15 I had 3 jobs.”
I wanted a horse. Really wanted one! At twelve, I took on my first job – a paper round. Followed by a Saturday job sweeping up in a barber’s shop, and another at age 14 in a shoe shop – just to cover a weekly ride at the local stables. That was the moment I first truly understood what money meant, and the discipline required to earn it and how it gives us some enjoyment.
I eventually got a horse of my own – a big grey called Romeo – at age 45! They are large, powerful herd animals, and force alone gets you nowhere. The only way it works is to earn their trust over time, and that also translates directly to how I approach client relationships.
I qualified as an adviser at 23 – a difficult year that reinforced a value I have carried ever since: make the time you have count. The career itself was something of an accident. An office junior role at Yorkshire Bank, taken from the job notice board at college, turned into a 30-year career in financial services and a profession I have genuinely fallen in love with.
I’ve raised my family and returned to work after the birth of all three of my children, with the support of some amazing grandparents!
I have always been of the opinion that you should treat people the way you would like to be treated. I like warmth, honesty and clarity, and I aim to deliver an individual, positive and easy-to-work-with experience for every client I work with.
One of my longest-standing clients came to me during an extremely difficult period in her life, with no background in financial matters and a great deal of uncertainty. Over the years, we have navigated significant life events together and she told me recently that what she values most is not the portfolio performance – it’s knowing there is someone she can call and trusts implicitly. That is the kind of adviser I aim to be.
