I head up the Support and Service operations at Symplectic, whose responsibility it is to on-board new clients and implement Elements in to their system landscapes. Since joining, I have played a significant part in growing the company through hiring, and improving how we operate. My team is my strength, and I thrive on making them work well together.

After a decade of working in London, it was eye-opening to experience working life in Norway, after moving to Oslo. They don't know how good they have it; and more importantly, we don't know how good they have it!The job was in many ways a real treat, as I got to work companies in sectors outside of finance. One client was the largest building contractor in the country; another was one of the biggest shipping companies in the world; and best of all was working for the main workers union in Norway (LO).After a year-and-a-half, it was time to move back to London, and pick up life here again. I returned with half the job, and worked remotely for another year, visiting the clients in Oslo every month or so.

Having run out of money during my MA (European Thought) at UCL, I decided to make the degree part-time and try contracting. This gave me another year to complete the degree - only the dissertation remained - and allowed me to tap in to what was a lucrative gig at the time. I joined BNYMellon to be part of the team implementing a system (Misys Summit) to manage mortgage-backed securities. SIVs (Special Investment Vehicles) were taking off and all was looking rosy. Fast-forward a few months and the subprime mortgage crisis was kicking in.Being in the eye of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis was a fascinating and turbulent experience.

My time in the City of London began at its heart, the London Stock Exchange, hooking up the Johannesburg Stock Exchange trading system to LSE's. Although working for Accenture gave me experience from a number of financial service institutions, I cherish my time at the Stock Exchange the most.My favourite time at the LSE and most significant achievement was acting in a leading role for the transition of trading customer to TCP/IP.

Whilst the world was waiting for the Millennium bug (Y2K) to arrive, I began my career in a classic Internet start-up in the Camden independent music industry. Having to buy my own desk on my first day, and help build the company for the next year, was an experience that has proven invaluable since.

National Service is something every teenager in Norway is fully aware of, and sees approaching from an early age. Some are filled with dread and do everything to avoid it; others see it as simply something they have to go through to continue their life; few look forward to it. I had a great time, largely because I chose to go through the Officer's training program.After 7 weeks of intake testing, I was one of the 34, out of about 700 applicants, that made it through to the training program. The next 5-6 months consisted of rigorous routines of physical and psychological training, culminating in practical and theoretical examinations. Finishing near the top of my year, I was earmarked for a post to lead a troop of about 30 Privates for the remaining 6 months. Before completing my service, I was offered a training post in the Bosnian UN contingent, but I declined the offer as I had my eyes on further studies (university) rather than a military career.

What can happen when you are 18 and enjoying yourself on a holiday with friends, after completing school, is that your father calls you and says: time to come home now, you have a job starting on Monday. This conspiracy with a family friend led to a great experience on a salmon farm, near where I grew up. I walked in to discover members of my family I didn't know (small place). It taught me what -40C feels like, and to navigate at sea in the mid-winter darkness (to get to work). But it was also a place where I was allowed to take on more and more of the day-to-day management of the factory.