The Variants Analysis - Episode 4 with Gavin Adair

A career in finance isn’t for everyone; it can often be a high-pressure environment, prone to instability and unpredictable market changes. It takes a certain mindset and approach to work to forge a successful path. 

So for those questioning their suitability to the industry, or for those who have ended up in a finance position that’s perhaps not the right fit for them, what can be developed and cultivated from the skills and experience gained within finance and applied to a role they really want?

“A survey conducted by employment firm Investors in People (IIP)
found that an incredible 60 percent of all UK workers are unhappy
with their current positions.” - ITProPortal

Our guest on episode 4 of The Variants Analysis can sympathise with that overwhelming statistic. As Gavin Adair, Chief Executive Officer at Rosa's Thai Cafe, explains in our latest podcast installment, he didn’t have a clear idea of the employment route he wanted to take and decided that a “professional career” meant accountancy. 

Having landed an entry-level position at Grant Thornton, where he completed his ACA, and after accumulating ten years of finance experience as he developed in his role, Gavin identified that his next logical career step was the move to finance director. He soon came to realise it wasn’t what he wanted at all:

“So [the interviewer] said, “why do you want to be a finance director?”, and I said, “I don't. I don't want to be a finance director. I want to work in general management, ultimately.”

Gavin knew that many of the skills he’d developed in those initial ten years were transferable to a general management position: some of the structures, some of the discipline, the ability to deal with complexity and uncertainty, experience with crisis management.  

It’s becoming a more common pathway - 51% of the CEOs at the 100 biggest UK companies have a background in finance - which suggests that financial skills are a huge advantage when looking to make the move to senior management. 

To find out more about Gavin’s fascinating journey to CEO of a UK-wide business, listen to episode 4 of The Variants Analysis.

Host Adrian O’Connor, Founding Partner of Global Accounting Network, has welcomed a fantastic guest list of industry leaders and finance professionals in season one of the podcast series - you can check out the full episode catalogue here.

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