Matt Hyde, Director Recruit 121 (Finance & FinTech) Managing Director of FinTech Awards Wales & London & Finance Awards Wales Meets:
Suzanne Chesterton,
Head of Marketing and Communications,
Please introduce yourself and your role in the Cardiff Capital Region
My name is Suzanne Chesterton and I head up all the Marketing and Communications activity for the Cardiff Capital Region. It’s an exciting time to be a part of this organisation – there is so much opportunity within grasp, within this region for businesses, communities and individuals to thrive and it’s great to be able to be part of something where the work you do, and contribute towards, makes a contribution – however small- to achieving the wider ambitions of the CCR. My entire working life prior to this has been spent in Financial Services so I have a very good understanding of what it takes to be successful in this arena so it is fabulous to see the scale of talent we have in our midst and to be able to recognise that through these awards.
Where are the opportunities for Fintech in Wales?
We have all the ingredients for Fintech success here in Wales: a promising blend of established success stories and fast-growing number of start-ups and scale-ups, a proven culture for collaboration with academia, together with the infrastructure to grow our fintech skills base and the ‘critical mass’ to attract investment. The Kalifa Report noted these ingredients for success – we now need to harness these ingredients and create something special.
What does being involved in Fintech Awards Wales mean to Cardiff Capital Region?
We’re very proud to be involved in the awards, celebrating the increasing success our fintechs are achieving on a national and global stage. We’re also delighted to partner with Fintech Wales as an organisation, in any way we can. CCR identified Fintech as one of the key priority sectors for building inclusive growth in South East Wales and we work closely with Fintech Wales – recognising their critical role as the voice for financial technology businesses here in our region.
What advice would you give a young technical professional?
Ask as many questions as you can from the technical experts and sector specialists you meet … surround yourself with as many ‘good’ and positive people as you can … learn all that there is to learn from the successes (and failures) of others … but ultimately Be Yourself. Developing your own skillset and mindset comes from your own passion and motivation: so follow your own path as best you can, do what you love and you will love what you do but make sure along the way you embrace the support and advice from those around you.
What books and podcasts would you recommend and why?
There are so many great books and podcasts out there – each offering nuggets of wisdom. I find the TEDTalks a great way to take relevant and inspired information from people who are leaders in their field – with Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle on developing compelling propositions and Tony Robbins' pieces on harnessing personal motivation being particularly good. Sinek’s material is brilliant in its simplicity. But also both Simon and Tony look at the critical role self -awareness plays. Every colleague, manager, supplier, investor we interact with is different. Being able recognising that and to be able to adapt your approach accordingly is a critical success factor in any business scenario and to be honest it’s a key life skill too. True success is nearly always dependent upon one’s ability to influence and manage the energies and strengths of every stakeholder around a common purpose. You can’t read enough on how to do that!
