PROFILE
When I was at school , I wanted to be … like every young lad , a footballer !
The best career decision I ever made was … joining Handelsbanken . I am lucky to work for an organisation that looks after its staff and has a strong cultural ethos , allowing employees to feel empowered and able to make local decisions .
The biggest change in my 20 years in Sunderland is … the regeneration on the old Vaux site . It ’ s fantastic to see the activity going on in the city at present , with a real build-up of momentum happening .
" Trust people and they will be true to you , treat them greatly and they will show themselves to be great ."
Sunderland can bounce back from the impact of Covid-19 by … maintaining the regeneration activities . It ' s important we maintain focus on encouraging people to work within the city , which will help both the day time and night time economy .
The best part of my job is … working in and leading a team who are collaborative , supportive and work towards the common goal of ensuring satisfied customers .
The biggest downside of my working life is … I love spending time with customers and the thing that gets in the way of that is the admin , so I will have to say that !
Four words to describe me are … positive , driven , motivated and reflective .
My business mantra is … trust people and they will be true to you , treat them greatly and they will show themselves to be great .
My greatest achievement is … climbing Kilimanjaro and helping to raise £ 100,000 for charity .
The biggest frustration I encounter in the Wear region is … we don ’ t shout loudly enough about our successes .
My favourite local charity is … our Durham branch has adopted two local charities to support this year . Foundation of Light and St Cuthbert ’ s Hospice . They ’ re both very different charities , but equally inspiring and important in the work that they do .
When I ’ m not working , I like to spend my time … watching Sunderland AFC and coaching my son ’ s junior football team .
My guilty pleasures are … Guinness and chocolate
The best holiday I ever had was … visiting New York . An absolutely fascinating city .
Not many people know this about me , but … I once shared a pizza with Liam Gallagher .
In retirement , I ’ ll spend my time … hopefully going on holiday !
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