What is your role at Brunsdon Financial?
I’m a Trainee Paraplanner.
How did you come to your role?
When I left university in 2018, I was headhunted for an admin role in Financial Services by another company. I found myself enjoying it and progressed there. When Covid-19 came along I was contacted by a recruiter for my current role. I took voluntary redundancy at my previous company and the rest, as they say, is history!
What do you like most about your role?
I like how often I get to learn something new. As I study for exams outside of work hours, it’s satisfying to learn a new concept and then use that knowledge in a report. It makes me feel like I’m always achieving something.
If you could wave a magic wand to achieve anything you wanted at work, what would it be?
My first thought was Helen’s answer from her Employee Spotlight; a perfect file!
Other than that, maybe for the office to have a kitchen with full cooking equipment and ingredients so I can cook up some gourmet lunches. And a dishwasher so I wouldn’t have to wash up afterwards!
What experience/s have you had which have helped you in your career to date?
I’ve worked, volunteered and completed work placements in a range of environments. I’ve worked at pubs and festivals doing bar work, in magazine publishing, in PR and even at my old nursery and primary school! Working in such a wide range of environments with an array of different kinds of people has been very beneficial.
What has been your most exciting career moment/favourite career achievement so far?
Other than getting a First in my degree, probably passing my first financial services exam back in 2019. My educational background was very much focused on English and Linguistics, in particular sociolinguistics and critical discourse analysis, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to achieve highly in a completely different field. It really gave me the confidence to kick on and make a career for myself in this industry.
Who are your role models?
One person I really admire is Ed Winters (known as Earthling Ed). He’s a vegan activist, author and YouTuber who has set up multiple businesses, the profits from which are used to run an animal sanctuary, which has saved over 100 animals from slaughter! What I like most about him is his work ethic, as well as his calm and patient method of communication in his debates and lectures.
Can you tell us an interesting fact about you?
I have a huge phobia of birds, much to the amusement of other people when I’m out in public!
Outside of work, what do you like to do?
I stay pretty busy when I’m not working. Most of my time is probably taken up by football – either watching (both on TV and in-person at Cheltenham Town), organising and playing 5-a-side or tinkering with my fantasy football team.
If that’s not enough, I spend some evenings playing FIFA (I promise I’m not a 15-year-old boy!) with friends. I’m also the captain of a skittles team. My partner likes to find lots of interesting days out for us to go on at the weekend and I somehow manage to fit in exam revision amongst all that.
How would you like to be remembered, a) by your friends and family and b) by your Brunsdon Financial colleagues and clients?
By my friends and family, hopefully as someone fun to be around, always up for a laugh and a good advocate for oat milk.
By my colleagues, hopefully someone who’s efficient, always willing to learn and approachable.
A bonus May bank holiday weekend question – What’s your idea of a perfect bank holiday well spent?
For me, one day would include a long gaming session playing a role-playing video game (at the moment for me that’s Elden Ring!), just for a whole day of pure escapism. I’d spend at least another day with friends and my partner, hopefully enjoying some sunny weather in a beer garden.
Either that or using the weekend to go on a city break or maybe appending it onto a longer holiday. In fact, after the Queen’s Jubilee bank holidays, I’m taking time off to go to the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, which I’m very excited for!
