In this month’s team update, meet the newest member of the HA&W family, Suzi Beck.
Suzi joins us as a paraplanner and has been here for just over a month. She’s settling in well, partly because the small world of Leicestershire financial services firms means that she’s met a few of us already!
We caught up with Suzi to give you the lowdown.
A warm welcome from some familiar faces
“I’ve been made to feel very welcome,” Suzi says. “Sue and Jacob have been showing me the ropes and I got an invite to the deferred Christmas party before I’d even started working here.
“Jim sent me a video tour of the office too so I already knew where to park and where everyone sat. That was really going above and beyond.”
“I’ve been in the financial services industry since 2010 so I have a good knowledge base. It means my training has mainly involved getting up to speed with new systems.
“I feel like I’ve settled in really quickly and it’s been nice to reconnect with some familiar faces.
“Sonal and I worked together at my last company. And Laura trained me back when I was a junior paraplanner seven or eight years ago. On top of that, around 10 years ago, Jim, Dawn, and Liz worked nearby and we’d email regularly, long before I met them in real life.
“It means I’ve got a lot of people here that I don’t mind bugging!”
Suzi is studying to be a Chartered financial planner
Compared to Suzi’s last role, the hours are slightly less here at HA&W and the commute is much shorter. This is clearly a good thing, but it does have one downside.
“All this extra time means that I’ve got no excuse for avoiding the books,” Suzi explains.
“I’ve picked studying back up again. It’s very involved and I still have three exams to complete – and they’re big exams!”
“But once they’re complete, I’ll be a Chartered financial planner and all the hard work will have been worth it.”
New challenges in and outside of work
Suzi’s determination isn’t confined to the workplace. A keen tennis player and golfer, Suzi also likes riding her bike and taking her dog on long country walks, usually via a pub for lunch.
“I like to get stuck in and try new things.
“At home, my current challenge is to grow my own fruit and veg. I have two troughs, at a height that stops my dog from digging them up. But it’s tough going.
“After my kale got attacked by cabbage worms (I didn’t even know they existed!) the salvageable produce worked out as a saving of around £1.80. There’s still a way to go before I’m self-sufficient.
“Nothing goes to waste though. Whatever the dog doesn’t dig up, and that I don’t eat, goes to the rabbits or the guinea pigs.”
Suzi plans to see a bit more of the world
“When Covid restrictions lifted, I went to the Algarve on my own – mum was still too worried about the pandemic to fly – and I had an amazing time.
“The weather was beautiful, it felt very safe and everyone was really friendly. Portugal felt very much like it had its own identity. Not like going to some places and finding all the signs are in English and wondering why you bothered!
“I tried to learn a bit of Portuguese for the trip but the Nottingham University beginners course was really intense! I might get back into it one day.”
Next on Suzi’s travel list, though, is Asia.
“Hopefully in the next five years or so I’ll get out to Asia. Maybe Thailand first. Or, if I’m feeling really adventurous – or I can find someone who’s been before as my unofficial guide – maybe Japan or China.
“For now, though, I’ve got exams to focus on. And some serious saving to do!”
We’d all like to take this opportunity to officially welcome Suzi to the team and wish her all the best for her career with us.
