What is your role at J Finance?

My role at J Finance is Protection Adviser. I work directly with clients and closely with the rest of the team to make sure our clients are fully looked after and can maintain their plans for the future. Every client is different, and it is so important to understand their individual needs, whether that is life cover, protecting their income, or covering themselves and their children against the effects of serious illness. I also advise self-employed business owners on protection for their businesses.

What do you like best about working at J Finance?

I love the way people interact here and the way they deal with clients. It really is like a family, clients included. My team are wonderful people and very welcoming, and it is genuinely a pleasure to come to work.

What qualities make you best suited for your role?

My previous experience at Nationwide is a real help, as I understand the compliance side of the business well. I hold CeMAP and DipFA qualifications, which means I am qualified to advise clients properly, but beyond the qualifications, I am genuinely interested in every client I meet and I want each of them to have the best possible experience with us. I am very detail-focused, which matters in this role, and I think most people who know me would agree that I am outgoing and adaptable in an ever-changing environment.

Describe your typical day.

Each day is different, but emails are always the first port of call. I start at midday, so there are usually several to work through by the time I sit down. I plan my day around client meetings, which I much prefer to be in person or over video call. I find that both my clients and I value that connection, particularly when the conversation is about something as personal as your plans and hopes for the future. I also spend a good deal of time on the phone with protection providers, gathering information to help me tailor the right plan to each client's specific needs and staying current with a changing market.

What makes you happy?

Spending time with my wife and daughter makes me happiest. My daughter no longer lives in Newbury and I do not get to see her every day as I did when she was little, so I treasure the times we are all together, chatting, watching films, singing, and playing guitar. I also love performing. I sing in a band with a great group of friends and we play gigs regularly. Baking is another passion, though I always make far too much, whether it is homemade jam, flapjacks, or Viennese whirls, my personal favourite, so there is always plenty to give away.

What do you like to do at the weekend?

Saturdays usually involve a relaxed morning and afternoon with my wife before an evening at a gig, whether I am performing or in the audience. Sundays are for cooking, both sweet and savoury, then meeting friends in the evening for a catch-up and usually a sing.

Where was your last holiday?

My wife and I went to New York and New Jersey, staying with friends and taking in the sights. Our friends there are an extended family to us, so seeing them was as much the point as the trip itself. Going to Ground Zero was an experience I will never forget. It is such a beautiful and moving place, and standing there, remembering everything that happened and the sheer scale of the loss, really makes you reflect on what matters. It stayed with me long after we came home.

What is the one thing you could not do without?

Music. You can probably guess that from everything else I have said. I sing when I am cooking, cleaning, and at any other opportunity. Our best times together always seem to involve music in some way. We are hoping to plan a trip to Nashville in the not too distant future, so watch this space.