Last year I took up boxing. A few friends remarked this was a reaction to a looming ‘milestone’ birthday. Really it was to blast some fitness after a summer of too much rosé and moules-frites, taking advantage of an introductory offer from a boxing gym two minutes from my house.
I’d do it for a month, burn off the summer excess and that would be that.
Boxing is hard work. Skipping, pad work, heavy bags and sparring were all part of classes involving not just hard physical work but the kind of co-ordination I hadn’t used in years. I was pushed well out of my comfort zone, trying things I’d never done and wasn’t very good at. However, I persevered, really got into it and am still going!
The opportunities in the mortgage industry are as varied as they are enormous
My recent birthday also means I’ve now worked in financial services for 27 years. I graduated in economics then worked in investment banking for 10 years; then moved into mortgage finance with a major London brokerage, launched a successful mortgage broker (Coreco), took time out after an exit and then set up another firm, Altura.
A well-executed career path, you may say. But the journey has been far from smooth — and definitely not planned!
My jobs in finance to date have included: photocopier, stationary supervisor, accounts clerk, portfolio manager, settlements supervisor, equity trader, paraplanner, mortgage consultant, sales director, FX partner, managing director and founder.
This involved three investment banks, a wholesaler, a foreign exchange firm and three mortgage brokers.
The key to making the most of these opportunities is to remain open and flexible enough to seize them, accepting the inevitable setbacks
I’ve been made redundant once and resigned three times. I’ve founded two businesses and sold out of one. I’ve taken 10 exams and hold six professional qualifications. I’ve been nominated for two individual awards and managed to win one! I was a trader during the dotcom boom-and-bust and 9/11; a mortgage broker in the credit crunch; and a business owner during Brexit, Covid and the Mini-Budget.
I’ve now been in the mortgage industry for 16 years and met hundreds of amazing people: from trainee intermediaries through to experienced, award-winning brokers and business owners; from lender business development managers and telephone staff through to senior executives.
What the most successful people tend to have in common is a messy, complicated career path; one that didn’t go in a straight line, and involved challenges and opportunities from surprising directions and at unexpected times. They adapted when they had to, never stopped learning, tried new things and seized opportunities when they came.
My career journey has been far from smooth — and definitely not planned!
The opportunities in the mortgage industry are as varied as they are enormous. In my experience, the key to making the most of them is to remain open and flexible enough to seize them, accepting the inevitable setbacks when they come.
Long before I tried the sport, my favourite business quote came from boxing. It’s been very appropriate for my career.
In the words of the great Mike Tyson: everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
This article featured in the September 2023 edition of MS.
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