Joint CEO (with Julian Samengo-Turner) of GC Fac, the facultative reinsurance arm of Guy Carpenter

Where were you brought up?
South East London.

What was your childhood ambition?
To be the world's best golfer.

What is your favourite film?
Pulp Fiction.

What was your first job?
Part-time bookmaker - provided a useful grounding for the insurance industry!

What was the first album you ever bought?
Hunky Dory by David Bowie.

What do you find hardest about your job?
On occasion having to put up with "nay sayers".

What is your favourite part of your job?
Working with friends all over the world.

Do you keep any pets?
We have a standard poodle, Smudge. They are fabulous dogs.

What is the best advice you have been given?
Tell it the way it is.

What would your ideal job be?
Rock Star.

What's your favourite food?
Pasta and Truffles.

What really annoys you?
People settling for second best.

What advice would you offer someone starting out in the industry?
Take the opportunity to live and work overseas.

What was the last book you read?
The Zahir by Paulo Coelho.

If someone at a dinner party asks you what you do for a living, what do you say? Talk. We don't make anything, we don't build anything - in essence we identify and resolve our clients’ issues by talking to a number of different people.

If money were no option, where would you like to live?
In many different locations - London, the English countryside, New York, the Alps, and the Caribbean would work nicely.

Who would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
David Bowie.

How do you relax?
Lots of sport - golf, tennis, skiing, cycling and I play the guitar badly.

How stressful is your journey to work?
Depends on the Blackwall tunnel and Limehouse Link.

Dress-down Fridays - yes or no?
Dress down every day to the extent appropriate.

Are you a technophobe?
No but I still rely on my 11 year old son to download music onto my iPod.

What would you like to be doing in ten years' time?
Still working but also enjoying the various homes mentioned in the "if money were no option" question!