Name: Bruce Nelson
Current job: Director, Compass
Business Finance
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What was your first ever
job?
I worked at a vehicle contract hire
company in south-east England, arranging quotes for car fleets.
This was my introduction to finance: I moved from there to North
West Securities (Bank of Scotland). Prior to Compass, I was
regional director for Northern Europe with Key Equipment
Finance.
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By GlobalDataWhere is the best place to go
if you want to find out what’s really going on in the
office?
Standing outside with the smokers, the
kitchen or the pub.
What’s your favourite
restaurant?
The Wykeham Arms in Winchester – a
major part of the interior is still a drinker’s pub, with good pub
grub. The restaurant serves excellent quality food in a good
atmosphere. In London, Greens Restaurant & Oyster Bar in St
James. You can enjoy anything from fish and chips to game, or steak
and kidney pudding to Dorset crab salad.
What do you do at
weekends?
At weekends I’m often riding one of my
two horses, and of course mucking out. You tend to forget business
when riding, or you can end up off the horse. Riding requires a
good relationship with the horse, a level of discipline,
consistency in communication and being aware of your environment,
much like running a business really.
Who is your mentor or role
model?
I was originally inspired by Freddie
Laker, who created Laker Airways, an early entrepreneur of no
frills air travel, with his Skytrain service to America. Successful
as he was, he always appeared a great communicator and in touch
with his employees. I met a number of people who worked with him,
but never met him personally.
What’s one of the best things
about your job?
Funding and consulting within the
still nascent renewable energy sector and having the flexibility of
working with a number of international banks and equity investors,
rather than within the parameters of one funding institution.
Growth in renewable energy should be strong over the next decade,
with the government committed to challenging targets by 2020. This
will require serious investment at a time when the banks are not at
their most assured. We’re working with them to improve their
understanding, and therefore their confidence.
If you weren’t in your current
job, what would you have been?
Maybe I’d have moved towards aviation
in some form or another.
What’s your biggest
work/career mistake?
Starting a new business too late in my
career.
What cars do you
drive?
A BMW X5.
What book are you
reading?
Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. Not
quite as good as Labyrinth. Need a good book now for my
holiday.
What’s on your CD player or
MP3 player at the moment?
Guns N’ Roses and Mozart.
