From customer services and operations to institutional sales to becoming a financial adviser. With over 15 years varied experience in the industry and a spell working in enterprise architecture and corporate strategy for the UK’s national air traffic control service before moving into consultancy.
What was your background before joining Altus?
Varied – probably why consultancy suits me! I spent over 15 years in life and pensions, investments and wealth management. I started out in customer services, had roles in investment operations, then moved into investment research & analysis, did some institutional sales in asset management, became a financial adviser for a few years, before moving into change as a business analyst. In a final twist before joining Altus, I worked in the enterprise architecture and corporate strategy functions at NATS, the UK’s national air traffic control service.
What attracted you to Altus?
I have to thank my colleague, Jon Dean, for the heads up on the opportunity. I had always been interested in consultancy, the idea of helping different businesses, understanding how industry sectors function at a broader level, being on top of emerging trends, and the variety of work. I met JD when involved in operating model work that Altus supported on a large transformation programme. I loved the visual but structured way in which Altus defined the operating model, simplifying real complexity in certain areas. And JD is a top man, unlike what was my image of a typical consultant!
Tell us a bit about your team.
I am in the Investments domain which naturally aligns with my background, although work with colleagues across the business. I did some work in the insurance space earlier this year which kept me on my toes. The environment is collaborative, with themes and challenges that span domains, so having an open culture helps to solve problems and learn from a knowledgeable bunch.
What do you do in your role?
I tend to focus more on the Wealth space but do get involved in other areas. Technology is creating a huge opportunity to enable greater access to financial guidance and advice, where needed, but understanding when and why people engage and the balance between tech and human interaction at the right time is a very interesting dynamic. I feel fortunate to work with businesses solving these sorts of challenges.
What do you enjoy about working here?
The variety. I get bored easily. And in a genuine non-cliched way, the people. I have learned a huge amount from everyone in my time here. More important, they are nice people.
How has your role changed since being here?
Probably not a great deal in terms of day-to-day client activity, aside from more responsibility in certain engagements. The big difference has been time spent on new Altus initiatives and exploring improvements to existing methods. This is encouraged irrespective of position in the business. I have an interest in customer experience and want to see more (truly) customer-focused businesses. I have spent time this year looking at what Altus already does and could do more to help further in that respect.
What has made you stay?
All of the above. And we have a lovely office in Bath.
