Shaun Watts, business
development manager, LDF Supplier Finance
Name: Shaun
Watts
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Current job:
Business development manager at LDF Supplier Finance, part of the
Investec Asset Finance Group
What was your first ever
job? YTS football coach at Crewe Alexandra Football
Club.
Where is the best place
to go if you want to find out what’s really going on in the
office? I speak to the girls on reception, or to my team
leader Nick Maloney. He’s always good for the latest
gossip.
What’s your favourite
restaurant? Joseph Benjamin Restaurant & Deli in
Chester, best small restaurant at the Chester food and drink
festival 2008 & 2009: fantastic food and even better atmosphere
for such a small restaurant.
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By GlobalDataWhat do you do at
weekends? I like to wind down from the week by playing
football. I also play cricket for my local club, and we have a
yearly tour to Holland. I try and get to the gym, too, but I’ll be
honest: that side of thing is slipping slightly.
Who is your mentor or
role model? I don’t know if you could class him as a role
model, but I am massively impressed with British comedian Eddie
Izzard Not only he was the third-best UK comedian in 2007, but also
some of the things he has done for charity have been nothing short
of unbelievable: Sport Relief for example, running 43 marathons in
51 days with no real preparation is truly amazing. It proves that
if you really put your mind to something, you can achieve
anything.
What’s one of the best
things about your job? The chance to meet new people and
become involved in exciting new ventures and projects, both within
the commercial and public sector. The personal sense of achievement
when I am able to provide assistance, whether that be for the new
start sole trader who requires a small lend to kick-start his
business or the multi-million pound business looking to undertake a
large purchase to further develop their portfolio. I find both of
these equally rewarding. Also, I enjoy learning about new areas of
business that indirectly I become involved in.
If you weren’t in your
current job, what would you have been? I would more than
likely have continued with my football coaching. I achieved the FA
level 2 qualification at the age of 17. I was also working toward
my Uefa B coaching licence at the age of 19 (most professional
coaches are at Uefa A standard, which is the qualification above
this one).
What’s your biggest
work/career mistake? When my Youth Training Scheme ended
at Crewe I considered the idea of going over to the US to try and
obtain a scholarship at a college over there, but it was just one
of those things that never materialised. It would be interesting to
see how this would have developed.
What cars do you
drive? Volkswagen Passat, typical car, comfortable for all
the motorway miles.
What book are you
currently reading? Jeremy Clarkson’s And Another
Thing: a very funny take on many different situations. I am
also in the middle of reading HTM01-05 Decontamination in
Primary Dental Care, to help me support some of my dental
vendor accounts. A riveting read.
What’s on your CD player or MP3 player at the
moment? A mixture of everything really: Kings of Leon,
Kasabian, along with some more up-beat stuff for the gym, like
Dizzee Rascal, and a few Radio One podcasts (I am a big fan of
Chris Moyles, being a fellow Leeds supporter).
