FIVE MINUTES WITH ...
Head of Payments and Platforms at Tink tells us all about his favourite reads , his most valued gadgets and how he ’ s enjoying post-lockdown life .
Q . DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY INTO FINTECH . HOW DID YOU GET HERE ?
» I was working as a management consultant and came across payments a bit by accident . I was attracted – and still am attracted – by the combination of extreme complexity ( you are always learning ), the fact that many solutions are nowhere near perfect ( so there are great opportunities to make significant improvements ), and the sheer size of the market if you get it right .
Q . WHO WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD HERO AND WHY ?
» I grew up by the sea so was pretty captivated by Ellen MacArthur ’ s recordbreaking circumnavigation of the globe . Months spent alone , 24 / 7 racing in all sorts of weather , with little hope of survival if it goes wrong – that takes some grit . It inspired me to absolutely not do anything quite so dangerous myself .
Q . WHAT ’ S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED ?
» You ’ re only as good as the team around you . When it comes to leadership , it ’ s really important to take on the opinions and ideas from those you work closely with . It fosters an environment of collaboration , which is essential when you ’ re doing things no-one has ever done before .
Q . WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ - AND HOW LONG AGO DID YOU READ IT ?
» I normally have a few on the go at once . However , the most recent , which I finished a couple of weeks ago , was Adam Zamoyski ’ s Napoleon biography – fantastically written and utterly gripping .
Q . NAME ONE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY YOU COULDN ’ T LIVE WITHOUT AND TELL US WHY ?
» My AirPods ! I spend a large proportion of my day on the phone , so my AirPods allow me to turn ‘ dead time ’ – commuting , walking somewhere , hanging out the washing – into something productive .
Q . WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO IN TERMS OF LEADERSHIP AND MENTORSHIP ?
» It may be a cliché , but I am a bit of a disciple of Andy Grove , the ex-CEO of Intel . I think he truly understood how an organisation should function . I am also extremely fortunate to have worked with some very impressive leaders , and I actually grew up with one – my father . One of the most important lessons I learned from him is to be open , fair and human in order to foster trust . This lesson has never been more important than in today ’ s talent market :
22 July 2022