I am…
My reflections on a rewarding twenty years in finance, and a pivotal month in history
I decided in my late teens to pursue a career in finance. It was a move that many encouraged me to make, but it was also a move that many well-meaning friends and family members warned me against, not unreasonably concerned that I would encounter discrimination or other social and cultural barriers.
I decided to make the move anyway at the age of eighteen, and this month I was pleased to have celebrated 20 years since having made that move — all of those years spent with just one employer* (who were kind enough to send this lovely gift in recognition of that milestone).
Twenty rewarding years…
After 20 years, hundreds of companies researched, dozens of clients served, many accounting publications written, edited and published — and one 30-foot photo of my face displayed in Times Square — I’m prepared to call my high risk move a success!
I’m honoured and privileged to have had the long career I’ve enjoyed so much, and I recognise that I still have plenty to look forward to. I’m so grateful to all the people who’ve coached me, worked alongside me, advocated for me when I haven’t felt like I could do so for myself, given me an arm round the shoulder when I needed it (and a firm kick up the backside when I’ve needed that too!). Thanks to you all — I wouldn’t have come this far without you.
…and one historic month
All that being said, I can’t reflect on my 20-year anniversary in financial services without noting the historic importance of the month it occurred in. You will doubtless have noticed that I am Black — and it’s been an emotional rollercoaster for me and so many others like me this month.
I’ve been all kinds of angry, hurt and upset over the despicable things that far too many Black people and other people of colour still have to experience in what we so often insist on calling a modern and enlightened world. We can do better.
I’ve also been filled with hope and gratitude at the response of so many colleagues, friends and leaders who recognise that racism is real, it’s structural and pervasive, and that it’s way past time to put an end to it. There’s no better example than the UK investment management sector’s #IAM and #TalkAboutBlack campaigns, in which hundreds of participants from all walks of life called out structural racism and pledged to help make a change. We can do better.
As I reflect on my success in my chosen field — as the son of Windrush-era Caribbean immigrants; as an individual from an urban working-class background; as a person who attended a non-selective state school; as a person who has battled with poor mental health; as a person with neurodiverse characteristics only identified well into my adulthood — I recognise that successes like mine are lamentably rare.
This is my contribution to the #IAM campaign. It’s my sincere hope that telling my truths in this article will help others like me — and others who aren’t like me — to push for success of their own.
I am grateful
I am grateful for how far my career in finance has allowed me to travel. In the most literal sense of course, I’ve had the privilege of working as an advisor both in the UK and several European countries, as well as in North America.
But I’ve been on a long journey in a much more figurative sense, in that I’m a long way from the humble beginnings I started from. There’s much talk in the UK about social mobility and how many (including myself) believe it’s nowhere near what it should be. (It was my pleasure to discuss this with the Finance Society at Cranfield University this month on the day of my 20th work anniversary — you can watch the discussion here.)
As I write, I’m a senior manager at a Big 4 accounting and consulting firm. I’ve noticed as I’ve progressed through my career that people have become ever more inclined to assume that I’m from a wealthy and well-connected background. It’s understandable, firstly because that’s the case for many people in similar positions to me; and secondly because I’ve long kept quiet about my background and personal life, worrying about being ‘found out’. (Impostor syndrome is a real thing!)
In light of this, it’s not well known by most people who know me that 1) I did not go to university — having been somewhat deterred by the advent of student loans, being from a debt averse background, as well as the lack of role models who had gone to university before me; and 2) that my first full-time job was in a fast food restaurant. I had an unsuccessful search for work in financial services immediately after finishing school, so I decided to work full-time at the fast food restaurant I had worked at part-time trying to make ends meet during my last year of school. My plan was to gain more experience by working my way up to management before having another shot at the job search in finance. Thankfully, this worked out.
So, I’m grateful to so many people who helped me on my journey from there to here. To my mother and late father who instilled in me a strong work ethic and a moral compass. To the store manager at the fast food restaurant who allowed me to take the management course there. (As it turns out, I got the highest score on the management test, for which I received a company-branded watch, pictured below— it’s honestly my favourite timepiece.)
That step up gave me just that little extra experience to make my next search for a financial services job a successful one. And it’s worth mentioning that, even now, many of the techniques I use to develop and improve processes and manage people were learned in that fast-food kitchen.
I’m grateful to the staff at the City recruitment agency who helped find me that first job in finance when I was still a teenager. And I’m grateful to everyone who I’ve worked with and for since that helped me get to where I am today. Thanks to you all.
I am aware
I’m also aware of the ways in which I benefit from privilege, notwithstanding the immense challenges that I and many other Black people face in this industry.
Things such as my gender, my height, my English received pronunciation (at least in professional settings!), and what a few people have referred to as my ‘helpful-looking face’, have probably benefited me significantly over the years (with the exception that I get asked for directions far too often).
Some of my privileges are more practical: for example, I have gained several valuable qualifications — from basic investment administration right up to the CFA charter — that were mostly funded by my employer. I also had supportive managers who were prepared to continue backing me when I failed some of my exam papers because I was suffering from anxiety. Not everybody gets funding and genuine leadership support and I’m very grateful to have had those advantages.
Also, some of my privileges are of a much less tangible nature — let’s call them cultural. My 20 years in finance have all been spent in collegial, supportive and high-integrity working environments. I have never once been asked to do anything that I thought was ethically questionable nor have I ever had to sell a client a product or service that was of no benefit to them — or worse, actually to their detriment. Let’s not pretend — there are corners of the financial services industry where such practices are all too common, or where the organisational culture is hyper-individualistic, overtly discriminatory, or otherwise toxic. I’m privileged to have avoided those things — I only hope that one day, everybody has that privilege.
At the same time, I’m also keenly aware of what it is to be on the receiving end of the disadvantages and biases faced by many in the UK. I know first-hand what it’s like to go to a school that’s much more likely to advise students on how to sign up for unemployment benefits than advise them on how to enter the professions or be an entrepreneur. I know what it’s like to work for just £3 per hour. I know what it’s like when people assume you can’t be smart because you spend your work day doing jobs that they consider low-skilled; and, I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of all forms of racism — from casual indifference to overt, physical aggression.
I choose to be aware of the privileges so I can recognise the challenges that others who don’t have them may face. And I choose to face up to the disadvantages so I can help others overcome them. I can only encourage everyone to do the same.
I am hopeful
I’m hopeful — and encouraged by the response to recent events from so many across the industry — that things are changing for the better in finance. I’m also hopeful that my story will inspire others to take a firm hold of opportunities that life throws their way and make the most of them.
I am grateful, aware, hopeful. What are you?
* This article is written in a purely personal capacity. To avoid the impression that I might be speaking on behalf of any organisation that I mention here, I haven’t named any of them.
