This interview was first published by CITYWEALTH as a Leaders List 60-second interview feature. This article can be read in full on the Citywealth website HERE.
Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.
I’m a trustee, company director and I oversee the tax division and marketing team at Alex Picot Trust. This makes for a varied, fast-paced and highly sociable role.
Everything I do is very people focused, be it meeting with clients and intermediaries or working alongside the team at Alex Picot Trust; it is all about interacting with others and I really enjoy the business development element of meeting new people
What does a typical day look like for you?
Typically, I start and end my day at my desk, however, my calendar is scattered with meetings both inside and outside of the office which means it’s rare to spend a whole day in the office. Most weeks I am Jersey-based but I do also love the travel aspect of the role and regularly go ‘off-Island’ to see clients or attend events.
Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions.
When it comes to interesting client interactions and requests what makes us unique in the market is that a high proportion of our client base are Jersey residents. They often invite us into their homes for face-to-face meetings and sharing the same small community, means it isn’t unusual to ‘bump’ into them socially, even when out for a walk!
What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?
Succession planning and wealth preservation are the key challenges faced by all our private clients, either as individuals or family offices.
We provide the trustee and company directorship services to enable them to deal with cross-generational wealth transfer and to navigate the issues arising from differing opinions and individual circumstances of beneficiaries by being an independent sounding board for them.
Families benefit from our industry knowledge and individual director experience to ensure their wishes and best interests remain at the forefront when implementing succession plans.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
Passing my tax exams. After working hard for three years and facing the toughest exams of my career, becoming a Chartered Tax Advisor is something I really feel I worked incredibly hard to achieve. It is also useful and unique as a trustee having that tax knowledge.
What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?
From my own personal experience there are three pillars upon which I believe strong leadership is cultivated: clear communication, good organisation and the willingness to delegate which allows others to grow and learn.
Who do you most admire and why?
My children. They are more inspirational to me than any celebrity or business leader ever could be and since becoming a mum I have learnt a great deal about patience and perspective – I have found these to be useful transferrable skills for the workplace too!
Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?
I have just returned from a solo trip to London, spending time with my siblings and friends there. It was really important to have some ‘me’ time before returning to the workplace in early November following maternity leave.
If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?
Either a ski instructor or running a bar. In fact, in an ideal world I’d be running a bar in a ski resort, that would suit me perfectly.
How do you relax after a long day?
With the change in season I’ve recently been enjoying lighting the fire ahead of an evening on the sofa, enjoying my guilty pleasures of reality TV and some quality chocolate. In the summer months, I find a cycle home clears the head ready for family-time and a reset for the next day.
