Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Welcome to Executive Success. I'm Lesley Everett. And today we explore the choices, the habits, the leadership moves that shape extraordinary executives.
You're watching now Media Television.
[00:00:24] Speaker A: So mark some pivotal moments there in some times in our history that were challenging in the financial sector. Sector for sure and sounds like helped to shape your leadership approach as well at the time. So when did you, I just want to ask you now, when did you realize that leadership was much more or more perhaps than just financial services and it was more about people and behaviors? Because I know that was a change that you made yourself.
[00:00:53] Speaker C: Yeah, probably back in the first piece of regulation. We had really sort of a significant piece of regulation that landed in 1995 in the sector. And it, and it was the first thing that created the sector or caused the sector to have a real bump in terms of its performance. It was flying on very nicely.
So I would say, I suppose I'd sum that up as.
[00:01:15] Speaker C: When things are not going well, you realize you've got to rely on something other than just the ability to rinse the numbers. And then you realize about whether you can win hearts and minds of your team and whether you can really shape the way they get through it. And part of that's about given them a vote of confidence at that time that this is a short term blip and that people don't become poor delivery, poor deliverers or poor performers overnight. And I think that's the thing is when you have the confidence to say this is a market situation that's happened and actually what we need to do is come back to the inputs and how we go about building this business and then having the confidence to believe in that. So I think that's probably the first time was the mid-90s and I got to experience it. Yeah.
[00:01:56] Speaker A: And that's, that's, that's a long time ago for a lot of leaders. You know, it's still a truck. It's a struggle not to make out you're older than you are actually there. But yeah, I think a lot of leaders, you know, struggle to still make that breakthrough imbalance the business growth with people behaviors and, and how you focus on people development. And I, it sounds like you, you saw that need very early on in your career. I, I guess, yeah, I guess so.
[00:02:23] Speaker C: That's the other thing I'd say is it does help. I mean, it helps when you're a young leader trying to grow and grow your, you know, grow your own part of the business, but also develop your own career to have really good people around you I was very fortunate. Some terrific council. You know one of my, one of my takeaways I think for my, my learns at that point was to entrust the fact that it's great to have coaches and council ideally in the business but we're not always lucky enough to have them in the businesses we work in. Depends on the size of the corporate and their own culture.
So if you can't get it internally, look external.
[00:02:54] Speaker A: Absolutely agree with that of course and keep learning and keep testing out what you're doing and getting that feedback.
Going back to when you joined Pembroke, what originally drew you to Pembroke and to you taking on the CEO role and what vision did you have at that time?
[00:03:11] Speaker C: I was really enjoying, actually I have to say I was really enjoying my own consultancy business. I had to work with a portfolio of different companies across different sectors. I actually wasn't looking for a role is the reality.
But what drew me was that a couple of things really appealed to me. First of all, the investor behind the business and the people at that level are really, really impressive. So for my own learn and development it was obvious I could go on another sort of journey. And I always believe that financial rewards come off the back of performing. I don't tend to care too much about and worry about the numbers too much.
Bluntly, I sort of felt like I was at another legging me and to be around the people I'm around was a real pull for me. But in addition to that there were a number of criteria that mattered and they are or would include for me the ability to shape the culture was really important that I was in the driving seat of that.
I believed that the businesses, the three businesses I brought together under Pembroke were really good businesses but they were small, relatively parochial businesses at the time. Very, very good client centric businesses but needed to grow up a little bit and to, to bring them together. I would be able, be able to shape much of that thinking. And then I think the final piece was when I looked around the senior team that I'd be working with.
You can look at people and realize it was an organization that was pretty aligned in its desire to keep being client centric. And I think if you remember always at front of mind, you know how you grow your business is someone needs to pay you for your services and unless that's happening, you don't have a game. And I think I feel pretty lucky that all those things were in place that drew me back into what you might class as a corporate world.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: Yeah, right. So it really was the people and the culture that you could see, it's going to help you build the vision that you had in mind. And I think that's very smart to see that and to test that out. How do you feel like the vision that you've got there is playing out, will play out in the changing world, world that we're, we're in right now?
[00:05:15] Speaker C: Yeah, I think partly vision, part strategy. I think it's the piece around.
Invariably in an industry that's pretty technical, as many are in an industry that tends to focus on, you know, numbers and data, I think that to differentiate through culture and your ability to upskill your people such that they are, you know, what is ultimately a people business.
So for me, rather than worry about the outputs, if we really focus on people or the input on how good our people can be, the one thing that's never, ever, ever sort of failed to surprise me is when you empower people and give them the ability and the environment to grow and develop. They always grab it. They always grab it. The energy level in this business goes through the roof because we work with people in that way.
And I'm here today, in particular, where I am today, for example, there's a learning and development cohort here and just to see the energy as I pop in and have a look to see what's going on. So I think that's the thing for me, it's about realizing that that is the key determinant of success and that the financials are taking care of themselves. They absolutely will. They're good people. Well meaning high integrity people who are willing, willing to be part of a team and not row their own boat. Then I think you're in a really good place and we have that here in bundles.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: That sounds amazing. You touched on empowerment there as well. And it's one of the challenges that I come across a lot when I'm coaching senior leaders is letting go and letting people let go of the sides themselves, jump in at the deep end and see what they're capable of. And every time I've seen leaders do that, empower someone to take on something that puts them out of their comfort zone, I've seen amazing results. And I, I think it's only then that you really see what somebody's capable of. So it's having the, the, the leadership strength to, to be able to do that, spot that potential and let someone run with it. On that note, what would you advise? Is there one practical thing that you advise your professionals to do or you would advise a professional to do? When they want to go from being a great professional into a very successful leader.
[00:07:20] Speaker C: Yeah. I think to a lesson learned, actually, I'd probably share. The thing for me is surround yourself with, don't surround yourself with like minded people. Surround yourself with an eclectic mix. First off, don't, don't only hire people in your, in the same vein of yourself and your own approach to life. And, and akin to that is if you're the smartest person in the room, you've got a problem, a real problem. You know, I look around and think I have very different skill sets in this business. Some truly talented people.
And, and I've never been embarrassed. I was when I was perhaps when you say never very young. You always think you've got to be the best in that room. But I think the, the switch moment for me is when I realized actually it was really good to have people who are better than you or had the ability and capability to go on to be better.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:08:08] Speaker C: And that's the thing for me. Don't ever worry about that. I have no ego around that stuff. I haven't had that ego for a long time now. I parked it a long, long time ago. So for me, it's a humility to just allow people to grow beyond you. It's absolutely cool. You benefit from it.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: Excellent. I love that philosophy and I've seen that play out occasionally. And not too many people have a skill at doing that. So it's great to hear. So coming up, we're going to explore the foundations of trust and culture and people and how leaders create stability and growth in what is a challenging financial world right now. So stay with us.
[00:08:42] Speaker B: We'll be right back with more strategies, stories and steps to help you level up as a leader. This is Executive Success on NOW Media Television.
Every executive faces challenges, but not every executive learns to turn them into breakthroughs. Breakthroughs. I'm Lesley Everett, and on Executive Success, we bring you insights, strategy stories from leaders who have built remarkable careers.
We'll dig into executive branding, communication, leadership mindset, team dynamics, and how to navigate pivotal moments in your executive journey.
Catch Executive Success weekly on NOW Media Television.
Your front row seat to leadership mastery.
Lead with clarity, grow with purpose, achieve with integrity.
[00:09:37] Speaker B: And we're back. I'm Lesley Everett and you're watching Executive Success on NOW Media Television. Let's continue building your executive edge.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Welcome back to Executive Success. I'm here with Mark Ratcliffe. And now we turn toward the heart of leadership in financial services today. Building trust, shaping culture, and creating environments where people feel aligned, engaged and empowered in a highly regulated, rapidly shifting industry, leaders must balance innovation with stability while keeping humanity at the center.
Mark has spent decades navigating this balance, and his insights show what modern leadership really requires. Today.
[00:10:23] Speaker A: Financial services can easily become transactional, but culture, clarity and trust are the anchors that drive sustainable performance.
True leadership means guiding diverse teams through evolving industry demands while staying rooted in values and accountability.
[00:10:43] Speaker A: So, Mark, there's a lot there to unpack, but I want to ask you first, how do you personally balance trust, performance, regulation and innovation as a leader?
[00:10:54] Speaker C: Wow.
So you're right. There's a lot in there. And I think it starts from.
[00:11:00] Speaker C: First and foremost is having real clarity about what your proposition is as a business.
[00:11:06] Speaker C: And what it is that you, who you serve and what you're really serving up to them, and then really hiring people who buy into.
[00:11:17] Speaker C: Buy into not only you, but the belief that you have around how the business is going to serve its client base.
And one of those things I think often gets overlooked, Leslie, for me is that when people join businesses, they invariably don't join businesses, they join people. And so that personal contract that you establish with people on the way in, I take the I proud to say that every single individual that joins our business I meet in the early stages. I invariably get involved in a lot of the interview pieces and not around checking their technical competence, only ever around genuine cultural fit. For me, it's one of the greatest frustrations in M and A transactions and in hiring processes. People talk about cultural fit and then really ignore it on the process.
And for us, we're immersed in it the whole time.
We have an expression here that in Pembroke we have the Pembroke bus and we want everyone to be on it and to be buying a ticket to be on it.
And that's really important for us. Whether we buy a firm or whether we hire somebody, it's the same principle. So I think that's probably the big thing is you establish the trust with those people. And then of course, if you truly have integrity as a backbone in your business, what you know is you're going to deliver a business that actually will keep you safe from a regulatory standpoint too.
I'm really proud here. We have a terrific.
We have a very good regulator here in the uk. We have a great relationship with that regulator, but one that we need to continue to foster and we are working hard to do that.
But I think it's really important for me that we remember what we're here to do, which is to enable people to liberate clients to enjoy their wealth.
And at the very heart of it, that's who the client is. In an untrusted sector, to be trusted is really important. Absolutely, yeah, yeah.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: I mean, there's a lot you said there that is so, so true. And it's never losing sight of the fact that you're there to serve the customer, the customer, the client, whatever it is that they're seeking from working with you.
And I think that also there's something else you touched on there that I think is important is I think often when people are interviewed, we forget that it's a two way thing. So when you talk about giving them this cultural experience when they come in and they're being interviewed and you can spot that in them, they're also looking for that in you. And by way of doing that, you're attracting the best talent and retaining the best talent. We'll come on to that a bit more as well in terms of nurturing and developing that. But I think that's so important and particularly perhaps in the financial services industry where we need to be seen as a trusted employer as well as trusted in everything we do from a financial services point of view.
So when you. How do you actually nurture a culture of accountability and growth across a diverse team that you've got there?
[00:14:17] Speaker C: Yeah, I think the first thing that we sort of start with or a belief that I start with I think is embedded here now is that the empowerment piece we talked about earlier. But here it's about, for me, making sure that people feel they can make mistakes. You know, we say to people, don't set out to make them. That's not particularly clever.
But recognize you will. And again, create the culture of not being hierarchical and.
[00:14:43] Speaker C: Traditional in our approach to management. That's to give people rope enough freedom to express themselves, to do the job, to align them behind clarity or have clarity and align them behind what your vision is as a business and then really give people the opportunity and responsibility again. That's something I said earlier, Leslie, but every time you ask people whether they want responsibility to shape something, to be a player part, to actually be at the table shaping the way you deliver a service to a client or improve the way the business operates, everyone we ever meet and we hire, they absolutely put their hand up and say, yes, please, I've got a view.
And of course, those are the hard yards. Those are the hard yards. It's day in, day out, living it.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: Absolutely. But you can develop and create a culture like that where people have this.
Often they Talk about psychological safety. Now, to be able to be curious, to be challenging, to say, hey, Mark, I'm not sure that that was maybe the best way of doing things and maybe I would suggest this, or giving you feedback as well, but also being able to take feedback in a way that feels safe, safe and developmental for them rather than negative in any way. I think that is, it's, it's very powerful to create a culture like that, that safe culture for people to be who they are and take that feedback.
[00:16:00] Speaker C: I'll give you an example, just a very small example, but just, just yesterday I was in a meeting with a board advisor who I brought to the business alongside a new hire who's been with us for seven weeks.
And she came in and wanted to talk about a particular strategy of ours and our approach to something. And when she finished, she was, yeah, she's very high energy, individual, brilliant individual. But when she'd left the room, the board advisor said, oh, she was a little bit more watered down with you than she was when she talked to me. She was a bit more sure of herself and yet in front of you. And I said, well, she must be new. So today, I've seen her again today and I privately challenged her and said, I had some feedback yesterday that said you watered down your energy levels and maybe your, your, your certainty. When you talk to me as if you were concerned about me being able to take that on board, I said, I want to just assure you and I absolutely want your absolute, your firearm. I want to hear what you have to say in a professional manner behind closed doors. But if you've got some ideas, bring them. Don't worry about me being concerned or having an ego around it. And you know the quote she gave me back to me, she said, I just want to say thank you for creating psychological safety.
[00:17:09] Speaker C: How bizarre is that? You've just mentioned it to me and I've literally had the experience today.
[00:17:13] Speaker A: Amazing.
[00:17:14] Speaker C: Four hours ago. Yeah. So there's some.
I think she's going to be brilliant. Yeah, It's a real life practical example.
[00:17:21] Speaker A: Gosh, that, that really is. And, and it's so important and we've gone through years of leadership without realizing perhaps just how important that is. And that's fairly new term psychological safety. But we know what it means for people to be them themselves. And so let me ask you, is there a time when a leadership challenge caused you to question your values or where a leadership challenge actually was going against your values? And what did you do about it? If there was something.
[00:17:50] Speaker C: Yeah, I'd say a couple of times, I think in my career I've had. Where you've had senior leadership above me perhaps change when I've been sort of, you know, one or two positions off the, off the top roll, and you've had senior people change and then the new incumbents have got a very different way of operating. And I think I've had that on a couple of occasions specifically. And I think early on, I think once you recognize it, you're at a crossroads, or I was at a crossroads. I think people are. I think this is quite common. And then those crossroads basically say, well, I'm either going to have to change how I perceive or see the world and perhaps compromise my values, or I'm going to try and influence them to shape them, their thinking a different way. But if it's a values piece, I think invariably it leads you to leave or it has me. I've had the, the conviction, if you like to say, it's not right for me. I don't want to work in this environment where people don't see the world through the same lens.
And I think integrity is a word that gets shouted and banded around.
But if you genuinely believe that there is a lack of integrity. A lack of. Yeah, lack of integrity, and a lack of a moral compass around how to be, how to create the right culture and environment, then find another place to work.
[00:19:07] Speaker A: So be brave and do that, because it's never going to really work out.
Yeah, I've seen it multiple times.
[00:19:15] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. I think you get damaged. I think it really hurts if you and I did stay around for a little bit to start with. But, you know, at some stage you realize that you've got that different. If you're, if you're clashing that much with the values of a small number of people above you. And it's amazing how I think that did shape again. You learn or. I learned through those experiences, painful ones. But one of the things I learned is how senior people can really have an impact and shape culture.
[00:19:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
Right at the top level.
Yeah. Yeah.
[00:19:48] Speaker C: It's amazing. Top down. Yeah.
[00:19:50] Speaker A: Yep. Every. Every time it is. And a new CEO comes in, can change the culture completely. For good or bad. I've seen it. I've seen it both. Yeah. So, Mark, where can our viewers find out more about you and follow your leadership and what you're. You're doing across the industry?
[00:20:09] Speaker C: Yeah, I spend most of my time, I guess there's the odd bit of press stuff that happens, but predominantly, I would say find me on LinkedIn. If anyone wants to connect on LinkedIn, I'd be delighted to connect and share thoughts. And I spend a lot of time when people do reach out like that, responding and offering help as a regular part. So LinkedIn's probably easiest.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: LinkedIn's fine. Yeah, that's great. And you've got the spelling of your name on the screen, of course.
So next up, we're going to be talking more about reputation and authenticity and how brand can shape trust as well, particularly in the financial services sector where credibility is everything. So we'll be right back with that.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: We'll be right back with more strategies, stories and steps to help you level up as a leader. This is Executive Success on NOW Media Television.
Every executive faces challenges, but not every executive learns to turn them into breakthroughs. I'm Leslie Everett, and on Executive at Executive Success, we bring you insights, strategy stories from leaders who have built remarkable careers.
We'll dig into executive branding, communication, leadership mindset, team dynamics, and how to navigate pivotal moments in your executive journey.
Catch Executive Success weekly on NOW Media Television. Your front row seat to leadership mastery.
Lead with clarity, grow with purpose, achieve with integrity.
[00:21:46] Speaker B: And we're back. I'm Lesley Everett and you're watching Executive Success on NOW Media Television. Let's continue building your executive edge.
[00:21:56] Speaker A: Welcome back to Executive Success. In this segment, we explore something essential, yet fragile.
Reputation and authenticity.
In the financial world, credibility can be built over years and lost in minutes. Mark understands how brand leadership, identity and transparency shape trust in powerful ways.
Today, we discuss how leaders can remain authentic while navigating scrutiny in an increasingly visible world.
Reputation is an asset, one that requires requires consistency, clarity and emotional intelligence. Of course, a trusted brand isn't built on marketing alone. It's built on how leaders show up, communicate and behave every day.
The strongest financial organizations create cultures where transparency and authenticity drive trust.
So true.
Mark, I just want to ask you, how do you see Pembroke's brand and your own leadership identity working together to build trust?
[00:23:00] Speaker C: Yeah, I think the first piece is you've got to.
I think it's important for leaders to understand what it is that you're in our world here, what our value proposition is and being really confident around your ability to deliver it. Does he as another word which I think we would say is pretty ingrained here and that's a level of humility.
So I think when you're a successful business, as we are to date, remaining humble but accepting that we're still not perfect and a long way from it, I often describe us There's a danger when you look at our business, we're 32, 33 years old that you'd think everything's sorted and formed and done but the reality is we came together two and a half, just under three years ago. There's three businesses to create this new one combined business. And anyways, the internal language I'll often use is that we're still an adolescent on that journey so there's still a lot to learn. I think we have a.
We have a. We have clarity as to what our services are, what we're good at. And I think one of those learns, I learned very early in my career is don't try to be all things to all people.
We're very clear on what we're good at.
Stick to what you're very good at and continue look to evolve it and the voice. I had a. I had a real, real life example as you, I'll just very quickly share with you but I try to meet as many of our clients as I possibly can.
Clearly not to get involved in the advice conversation because I would add no value there because not qualified but more around understanding what their experience is to be a client of ours.
And I met. I met a couple recently who live in the south of England who are really lovely couple, very senior in different industries and they gave me four hours of their time and made me lunch at their home and it was like free consultancy.
I got so much. I came away thinking they're telling me how to be better in a role as CEO. They're telling me how we can connect with the community and connect and deliver our strategy in a way that communicates to them. I got a really strong sense from the wifat who's a client as well, that she was didn't feel engaged with our communication. For example, I came away with a to do list that's made us better.
[00:25:16] Speaker B: Amazing.
[00:25:17] Speaker C: Absolutely, yeah, I love it. And even when you get complaints. We had a. We had a situation recently, someone who felt a bit disgruntled with the communication from us and I asked if I could talk to him and he's in a communications role for a big financial credit card provider that you would know in America and, and really interesting chat and he gave me some terrific steer and at the end of it I said to him, you've clearly got a strong view.
Would you be prepared to come onto our client council to help us in future communications? To which he waved his hand up and said I'd be delighted to. So what started with him telling us off rightly so. Because then your communication didn't have. Well I'm actually now he's on the client council.
[00:25:54] Speaker A: Love that, that's fantastic. And because he would be absolutely over the moon to be asked.
That's another thing asking people for advice and help. Yeah. Wow. So just going back to something you said and building on that. How should clients feel or how do you want them to feel when they engage with Pembroke?
[00:26:14] Speaker C: Yeah, I think a number of things I'd hope, I think at the end of it, secure, secure that we are sat on the same side of the table as them. You know the world is a pretty complex world financially even very bright, well read people don't always understand money and and how to make the most of their money.
So I think.
[00:26:37] Speaker C: Informed, secure and definitely of a view that.
[00:26:44] Speaker C: We are their trusted partner and interestingly it's not always just about money.
It's interesting open up around some of the biggest challenges with their wealth is around how do I, for example, how do they pass the money on to generations? How do they make sure. I sat with a CEO recently who challenged us around understanding the value of the advice he was getting. It's just he was having a question with us so I asked if I could meet him again. He's the CEO of a UK listed insurance company.
Very nice man, lovely man to deal with and what was really interesting was when we talked about his world, we spent more time talking about his world post retirement and he hadn't started, he hadn't yet figured out how he was going to give back and do good for society.
And so the conversation went around to helping him on the life journey beyond his money. So we are now engaged with him and thinking about his own charitable foundation, how he might set that up. So for me that's the thing. For me it's being visible, it's being there and knowing that we aren't there just to solve the money piece, it's the planning piece per se and arguably it's be consistent, never get lost, do it every day.
[00:27:57] Speaker A: I think that's once you can get into and you can engage with a client about their story, what they really want, beyond what you're there to you think to talk about.
There's a pivotal shift at that point and.
[00:28:11] Speaker A: Can you share an example of when authenticity from your side or one of your team's side actually strengthened the trust with a client?
[00:28:23] Speaker C: Yeah, probably. I'll use the. I'll carry also if I may. I'll use that example. So that particular individual, interestingly that I referenced who's a senior individual in, in financial services that's himself was threatening to leave because he didn't understand or didn't really value the advice he was getting or didn't see the value of the for what he was paying. What he was getting was the real concern.
And so we had a really good conversation about first of all me understanding his view and why he formed the view. But once I understood it I actually concur with him. I said I think you're right. I think what you, what you pay us today, I'm not sure you're getting value. But I think that's not just down to us. I think it's perhaps down the way in which we've engaged with you. And so what I would say is if we're able to help you with a, you know, broadly with a better understanding of what really matters to you, I think.
[00:29:17] Speaker C: You would benefit from advice so much so I'm so passionate about that belief that I said to this particular individual that if they chose not to didn't believe Pembroke could deliver for them then what I would want him to do is not to self serve because I thought that would be very harmful.
So much so that if we weren't able to be the firm of choice and his pre preference then what I would commit to do was to find him a competitive firm that's really well regarded who would be able to help him.
So I think if you're genuine about that, if you genuinely believe that there is real value in advice and planning for this individual then absolutely if we aren't able to put our best foot forward and show that it's us then do right by the client and make sure they have what they have the opportunity to find another firm who will be able to deliver.
So I think that that for me would be a good example and that individual's chosen to stay with us and to give us a longer term now to demonstrate advice and the value of it.
[00:30:13] Speaker A: So perhaps incredible courage to do that.
Yeah, I agree. And that that truly is authentic trust beyond off the measure that of the off the scale there in terms of the trust that that client has built in you from that. So just want to change the tax slightly here but stay on authenticity and credibility. And how do you make, how do you maintain authentic and credibility when every decision you make is under such public scrutiny?
[00:30:43] Speaker C: Yeah, I think, I think it comes back to first and foremost it's an attitudinal piece. It's around confidence.
So I think for me it's if you're. If you're really clear on your culture and you're really clear on how you differentiate your services and what you're able to deliver.
I think authenticity is something that naturally.
I think it naturally flows through. I think of time when authenticity really comes under challenge is if you try to be someone or say something in a way that you know, something that doesn't, you don't really believe so becomes. I think it lacks. It lacks conviction if you start to try and be someone else's voice or you try to be someone else's or carry someone else's value set or moral set.
[00:31:37] Speaker C: I think once you have clarity on what it is you do, why you do it, and you live it, I think the confidence is there. So I think it's just avoid trying to be someone else's version.
[00:31:48] Speaker A: Yeah, very good advice, actually. And of course, it's dear to my heart. When you look at authentic branding is absolutely be yourself, but be yourself in the best possible way within the guidelines that you need to operate within. Yeah, totally. I get that completely.
[00:32:06] Speaker A: Sorry, go ahead.
[00:32:07] Speaker C: No, I'm just gonna say one thing. I'd say, Lizzie, you know this, but, you know, in a team of people, what, what I can absolutely promise, we have, you know, 50 plus advisors here. We do not have 50 people cut out the same cloth, the same mold.
We definitely don't. You know, we're here with a group of team here today, as I mentioned earlier. And, you know, I know in that room some tremendously different character types and personalities. And the one thing we're encouraging in that session is we're trying to give them processes on how to continue to improve their engagement with clients. But the one thing we insist that they all remember is that they should wrap their own personality around the delivery.
[00:32:45] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:32:45] Speaker C: If you don't wrap their own personality, it's not authentic to you, you will not land.
So for me, it's about take your personality, celebrate it, and to bring it to the fore. That's not to say you can't learn techniques to get better at the role, but wrap your personality around it, let that lead.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: Great advice and people often need help to do that. Of course. Maybe we'll come on to that a little bit later. So. Great. Thank you. We'll be right back. When we return, we're going to be asking Mark to share what leadership legacy looks like and how today's leadership can prepare for the future.
[00:33:18] Speaker B: We'll be right back with more strategies, stories and steps to help you level up as a leader. This is Executive Success on NOW Media Television.
Every executive faces challenges, but not every executive learns to turn them into breakthroughs. I'm Lesley Everett, and on Executive Success, we bring you insights, strategies, stories from leaders who have built remarkable careers.
We'll dig into executive branding, communication, leadership mindset, team dynamics, and how to navigate pivotal moments in your executive journey.
Catch Executive Success weekly on NOW Media Television. Your front row seat to leadership mastery.
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[00:34:13] Speaker B: And we're back. I'm Lesley Everett, and you're watching Executive Success on NOW Media Television. Let's continue building your executive edge.
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[00:34:53] Speaker A: Welcome back. In this final segment, we step into the future of leadership, how today's decisions shape tomorrow's legacy.
Mark has spent several years guiding leaders through industry evolution, cultural change and personal growth.
Now we explore resilience, reinvention, and what it means to remain grounded while leading organizations into the next era of financial services.
Leadership at the top can be isolating, yet legacy impact and future readiness all depend on staying curious, connected and intentional.
So in this segment, I want to explore the habits and the mindsets, the philosophies that help leaders remain relevant while developing the next generation.
[00:35:40] Speaker A: So, Mark, how do you continue leading, sorry, learning and staying grounded as a CEO?
[00:35:49] Speaker C: It's probably one of the greatest challenges because the temptation is to get involved.
[00:35:54] Speaker C: And.
[00:35:56] Speaker C: Involved in the subject matter in the weeds very often. I remember getting some brilliant counsel from our investor here who is effectively my chairman.
[00:36:06] Speaker C: In all regards.
Early on in my tenure here, to which he delivered a fantastic annual appraisal of my performance, enroll one year in, but then challenged me on one thing and said, how much time are you spending on the business versus in it?
And it was a really good challenge, actually. It got me to think about taking that time out to say, have some free thinking time, clear the diary to have thinking time, clear the diary to engage with other leaders and don't be concerned about competitors. Embrace competitors where you've got, you know, you can build a trusted relationship. So I have a number of competitors that I talk to regularly.
I have a bit of time out the business to be on the business.
So those two things I think around, having external perspective, the Longer you are in a role, the more insular you can become.
So that's the challenge for me. And we say to every single person who joins the business, when you come in, you'll have a six month window approximately when you're regularly referred to or we used to do it like this over here. And I said, and whilst that can be a bit annoying for colleagues, there'll be some things in there that are absolute game changers to help us get better.
So I'm going to encourage you to extend the six months perspective because that external perspective is really healthy. So culturally we try to do that by having people licensed to tell us what they see elsewhere and then personally spending time on the business, not in it is also valuable in doing that.
[00:37:36] Speaker A: Great advice. And because it's not always easy, because there's never enough time and there's more and more work and more and more pressure from above, whatever position we're in, to do more in less time. And I often hear this as a complaint. I never get time to get time to myself. Strategic thinking time. What do you do to personally make sure that you have that time mapped out in your diary or your calendar so that you know that you have that thinking time? How do you do it?
[00:38:05] Speaker C: Well, I'm quite fortunate in that way. So one of the recent hires into the business is a new executive assistant who is brought brilliant at holding you to it. So that's the first thing I'd say is making sure you're delegating to people who are very good at being disciplined around it.
So that's the first thing I think. The other thing is unless you have an idea of what good looks like in terms of your ideal week or month working pattern, I think it's very difficult to live it. So I wouldn't ever sit here and claim that I'm living the perfect model month every month. I'm not. But I do have a view as to how much time I should be spending in the business versus on it. And I think I hold myself up to that. And I have, as I say, an ea that she's just fantastic at it as one of her many talents. But she does that for me and for any leaders out there. Thinking you must get that right. Sounds like you get it right all the time. I definitely do not. There are big periods of time where you find yourself immersed in the detail thinking, I need out of here, I need to get out and on it.
So it's one of the things I find hardest, to be frank, it's the Thing I've run because I'm passionate about it and I want to get in and show and lead.
But yeah, it's probably the biggest challenge and one of the biggest challenges in the role for me.
[00:39:16] Speaker A: Absolutely. And leaders that don't have an ea. Would you advise that they have someone internally that helps them be accountable to taking that time?
[00:39:27] Speaker C: Yeah. Someone you can trust in your senior team, preferably in your senior team who gets it. Someone who can hold you. Hold you to account to exactly that. So someone who you could actually say can ask that question. I mean it's great when you have external coaches. I think they're really valuable and I'd always encourage that. But internally to have someone who you can have a bit of a personal contract with around holding you to account on a small number of things. Really valuable.
[00:39:52] Speaker A: Yeah. So it's accountability, isn't it, that. Yeah, we have to develop and that I just see that getting tougher and tougher and it's something I have to work on with clients a lot. A lot more so.
I mean leadership is demanding. We know that. Can you share a moment where you were truly tested in your resilience or in confidence perhaps?
[00:40:16] Speaker C: Yeah. Pre here, actually. I'd say in previous roles, definitely. I think.
I think when it's happened typically is when I've had a change of.
[00:40:28] Speaker C: Strategy from group co. So I'm running part of the business. I was running part of a.
An asset management business and had a very significant change in direction as to where they needed to invest the dollar to get the return or for their own performance.
And I think once they change that direction and want to take away much of what you've come to.
[00:40:53] Speaker C: And build and design and your vision is really under attack.
I think that's probably the time when I feel it forces you to either reshape yourself in that business or find yourself an opportunity to deliver your. Or bring your skills to bear somewhere else. So I think that's probably the pieces. When you're not in control, it's the hardest thing because you're. It's a decision that's probably strategically the right decision for the business, by the way, but it just means that your personal fit in it. It's not meant to be personal, but you might just be. You're no longer. Your role is not going to be the role you anticipated.
[00:41:27] Speaker A: Right.
[00:41:27] Speaker C: And that happened in a US asset business. I worked in great business.
But yeah, change the goalpost and you have to reinvent yourself and find an alternative place to apply your skills.
[00:41:41] Speaker A: Absolutely. And there's huge learning in all of these things. It's not a straightforward line, is it, to successful leadership. There's so many. So many humps in the road and diversions and challenging moments, but we learn from all of those and it just makes you a better leader at the end of the day, when you're really challenged and out of your comfort zone. As you say, when you think about your own legacy, what do you want it to represent for people, for clients and the industry generally?
[00:42:10] Speaker C: Yeah, I'm quite fortunate. Alice.
My son's recently joined the business.
So bizarrely, he was hired by the coo and I found out from the CEO that my son was joining before I knew. He didn't tell me himself, so it was quite interesting.
But in a way, I've sort of seen a little window into the way he's seen. He sort of congratulated me early on in his tenure here around the culture that we have here. So I think for me, the single largest thing was if people can genuinely say we lived being client centric, we lived being a business which was challenging of itself, that had limited ego, and that as a culture was genuinely engaging, both for client and for employees. I have an expression here about us being the advice firm of choice in the part of the country we operate here in the south, but at the same time to be the employer of choice.
And I think those will be the two badges for me. So not only are we the advice from a choice for clients, but we're also the place where people want to come to work. If that was my legacy in the Pembroke business, that would be an amazing achievement.
And we're a little way into that journey.
But, yeah, that would be. That would be it for Pembroke. And I think beyond that, I think I'd just be. If I'm. If I'm known as the culture vulture, that would be fine.
[00:43:33] Speaker A: Now you said it on air now. So that's going to rebrand, you know, so that'll stick. The Culture Vulture. Right, excellent. I've got to go back to the fact that your son joined the business. It sort of leads me into this question that I want to ask you is, as technology and perhaps new generations reshape finance, where do you see the biggest opportunities coming from?
[00:43:56] Speaker C: Yeah, it's interesting because I think that there is a slightly simplistic argument, a bit binary, about is it tech or is it people delivering advice in the future?
And my belief is it's a bit of a cyborg moment because I think, actually, I don't think I can't see a time when significant investment financial planning decisions are going to be made through technology alone.
[00:44:22] Speaker C: That said, I think.
[00:44:26] Speaker C: The opportunity to re engineer the way this sector actually behaves and delivers client engagement is massive. I would say if I were critical of our sector, it would be that we have not embraced technology well yet.
So I think the ability to embrace it, yes. For operational efficiency. Yes, yes, yes. But actually, can you make it much more engaging and allow client facing people to spend more time with client and for clients to actually feel that the quality of the output to them is much better. So for example, AI, I can absolutely see us embedding as we as we enter next year. So, yeah, huge role to play, but not at the expense of the trusted advice relationship that advisors have with the clients.
[00:45:11] Speaker A: Yeah, excellent. It's using it in the right way and applying the wisdom that we know as a human being. Thank you for that, Mark. This has been really powerful. Lots of things that come out of this. We could talk for a lot longer on leadership lessons and maybe we have you back on in the future at some point to continue that conversation. But it's been incredibly powerful. So thank you so much for joining us today.
[00:45:33] Speaker C: Now you're very welcome. And thank you so much for the opportunity. I've loved it and good luck obviously, with the series.
[00:45:37] Speaker A: And I want to thank Mark for sharing not just strategy, but wisdom, the kind that anchors leaders through every season of growth and transformation.
Your journey reminds us, Mark, that that Purpose Driven Leadership isn't a title. It's a daily practice rooted in clarity, trust and authenticity. Of course, to our viewers, remember, leadership becomes legacy when who you are aligns with how you lead.
Take today's insights and apply them. Even one small shift can reshape your influence and elevate your impact.
I'm Lesley Everett and this has been Executive Success.
Join us next time as we continue exploring the leaders, the ideas, the breakthroughs, the shaping of the future of business.
