1\. What was your first job?
My first paid job was filling the shelves in our local delicatessen at the age of 13 and my first career role was as an economist with BP, straight out of university. It didn’t take me long to figure out that finance was a better option than oil, so I joined Merrill Lynch.
2\. What was the best advice you were ever given?
“Sparkle, young man, just sparkle”, by the MD and head of Corporate & Strategic Planning at BP when I was applying for a role there as a new graduate.
3\. Which was the last book you read?
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, but I also loved Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms by Gerard Russell, which explores the disappearing religions of the Middle East.
4\. What would be the first item on your bucket list?
Visit Kyrgyzstan and North West China travelling along the ancient Silk Road to see things before the Chinese Government destroys all the history and culture there.
5\. Who inspires you?
Nelson Mandela. To spend 27 years in prison and then become President of your country with the capacity to forgive seems astonishing.
6\. What does your ideal weekend involve?
International rugby, Liverpool FC, family and the sofa to recharge for another hectic week ahead.
7\. How long can you go without your mobile?
A few hours, then I need to know what I’ve missed.
8\. What advice would you give the young you?
Follow the money.
9\. What would be your luxury item on Desert Island Discs?
My iPhone, assuming they have wi-fi or data there.
10\. Who would you most like to meet, and why?
Chinggis Khan to try and understand how an illiterate Mongolian horseman could command an army which went on to conquer a third of the known world in the early 13th century.
