1. How do you measure success, what does success means to you?
Our vision is to enhance confidence and trust in New Zealand financial markets issuers and their products for the benefit of investors. Our business is somewhat unique. We act on behalf of the investors and scheme members representing their interest and concerns to the product issuers and managers. As such, many of our success stories will go unnoticed by the those who have benefited.
Ultimately, success for Guardian Trust and Covenant means discharging our fiduciary and supervisory obligations in an independent and thoughtful way, whilst also being commercially pragmatic, so that we can deliver the best outcomes to all of our stakeholders; investors, clients, staff, regulators and shareholders.
Success to me goes beyond financial considerations. We consider how we have delivered on our obligations and duties, how we have provided benefit to those unseen investors and scheme members that we act for.
2. How do you manage work-life balance
The focus on work-life balance is a fairly new concept. It is one that has become more important as the methods of working and engaging with work have evolved, and work-life boundaries have eroded over recent years.
However, for many people work is an important part of their life. It is where we choose to focus a large amount of our productive time, and where we spend much of our day engaging with people. So I try to think of this more in terms of what choices can I make to maximize my personal and work productivity, output and relationships, not how do I split them apart.
My takeaways for a penny:
It’s all about relationships. Prioritize these (and be happy that these will change based on where you are at in your life) and focus on nurturing and growing them. Love (or at least enjoy) your role and what you do professionally. It requires a lot of your time and productive energy. Find the right organization with a vision that resonates, and with people and a culture, that aligns with you.
3. What is the best career advice you’ve received and why?Two pieces of career advice that I have received that stick out:
Walk quietly and carry a big stick – I was told this by a finance professional; a good lesson in exactly what not to do.
It's all about relationships. Every business is a more or less loose amalgam of people, each one with their own motivators, goals and expectations. You need to develop these relationships to make real connections in order to understand a business and to lead. I have yet to see a business in which this is not true. As your role grows and you deal with larger teams and with more strategically, this still applies. You need to look for the broader drivers of culture.