Name:
Chris Smith
Age:
44
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Current
job: Director at Summit Asset Management
Career:
Summit Asset Management (2005 – present), Lombard (1998-2005),
First National (1998), LeasePlan (1996-1998), Schroder Leasing
(1992-1996)
What was your first
ever job?
Excluding working for my
parents and a paper-round as a boy, it was in HM Forces, in the
Army.
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By GlobalDataWhere’s the best
place to go if you want to find out what’s really going on in the
office?
Anywhere that the ladies
congregate.
What time do you
usually leave the office?
If I’m in the office,
sometime after 6pm – whenever the M25 has finally died down.
What do you do at
weekends?
I spend as much time with
my family as I can; plus sneaking in as many Wasps games as
possible.
What’s your
favourite restaurant?
The Oxo Tower – incredible
views.
If you weren’t in
your current job, what would you have been?
Probably an accountant. I
trained and took Association of Chartered
Certified Accountants exams whilst at Schroder’s some years
ago.
Who is your mentor
or role model?
In the current role, Neil
Roberts [Summit’s managing director].
What’s the best
thing about your job?
The diversity and variety
offered by a venture-capital-owned leasing company; financial
products I couldn’t have dreamed of at previous bank-owned leasing
companies, and the ability to take them cross-border.
What’s the toughest
thing about your job?
The travel – long haul can
lose its glamour very quickly.
What’s your biggest
work/career mistake and what did you learn from it?
Once, I took a job that
wasn’t what was advertised. I was looking for a new job the day
after I started, and I would now ask more searching questions about
a new role (although I’m not currently looking for one!).
What car do you
drive?
I drive an Audi A5, but I’m
about to swap it for another car.
What book are you
currently reading?
Mark Twain’s Huckleberry
Finn.
What’s on your CD
player at the moment?
High School Musical – my
wife borrowed the car (with the kids), so their CD is in the
player. Luckily I tend to listen to Radio 4 so it’s not a huge
problem.
