Pathfinders 3 : Richard Rowntree: Council estate to the top table and why social mobility is so important
02/01/23 • 56 min
From his early life growing up in a Council Estate in Southend, Richard Rowntree has worked his way up in a range of jobs, from a development programme at Halifax in 1991, through branch management, to becoming Sales Director, and then National Director of Santander, MD of Bank of Ireland Mortgages and now sits as the MD of Mortgages at Paragon Banking Group as well as a UK Finance Board Member.
He is passionate about his work with Progress Together, helping to change the Financial world by encouraging and assisting more new talent from different socio-economic backgrounds to not just come into finance but to ensure they progress to top positions.
In this episode, we chat about many things, including:
• Humble beginnings - growing up in a council estate in Southend
• Learning how to fit in and get on with people
• Taking opportunities
• Having to reinvent yourself
• Dealing with setbacks and staying positive
• Imposter Syndrome, coping mechanisms and your inner monologue
• Equality and Social Mobility: Driving socio-economic diversity
• What is Progress Together and how to get involved
• Richard's definition of success
• The best piece of advice Richard ever had
• The one person you would want to meet in history and what would you ask them
I am sure his story will be of interest to you.
This is the Pathfinder Podcast, may the path you take be the right one for you.
Richard on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-rowntree-332982b/
Progress Together - https://www.progresstogether.co.uk
Progress Together on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/company/progress-together
You can contact and follow Monty:
From his early life growing up in a Council Estate in Southend, Richard Rowntree has worked his way up in a range of jobs, from a development programme at Halifax in 1991, through branch management, to becoming Sales Director, and then National Director of Santander, MD of Bank of Ireland Mortgages and now sits as the MD of Mortgages at Paragon Banking Group as well as a UK Finance Board Member.
He is passionate about his work with Progress Together, helping to change the Financial world by encouraging and assisting more new talent from different socio-economic backgrounds to not just come into finance but to ensure they progress to top positions.
In this episode, we chat about many things, including:
• Humble beginnings - growing up in a council estate in Southend
• Learning how to fit in and get on with people
• Taking opportunities
• Having to reinvent yourself
• Dealing with setbacks and staying positive
• Imposter Syndrome, coping mechanisms and your inner monologue
• Equality and Social Mobility: Driving socio-economic diversity
• What is Progress Together and how to get involved
• Richard's definition of success
• The best piece of advice Richard ever had
• The one person you would want to meet in history and what would you ask them
I am sure his story will be of interest to you.
This is the Pathfinder Podcast, may the path you take be the right one for you.
Richard on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-rowntree-332982b/
Progress Together - https://www.progresstogether.co.uk
Progress Together on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/company/progress-together
You can contact and follow Monty:
Previous Episode
Pathfinders 2 - Sarah Tucker: How Grief Of The Voice Gave Birth To A Movement
Sarah Tucker is so much more than just “The Voice”. She exudes two of the qualities I value most – authenticity and passion.
Some may see her as something of an overnight sensation, such has been the meteoric rise of her company, The Mortgage Mum, in such a relatively short space of time, but as ever, the truth is always different.
Sarah Tucker is not your average mortgage broker, having achieved the rarest of feats by getting not 1, but 4 chair turns on The Voice in 2019, and anyone who has heard her sing knows that she has a very special gift.
Although her journey to pop superstardom did not pan out as planned, not yet anyway, as a busy working mum Sarah found her way back into the mortgage industry and founded The Mortgage Mum after seeing that women like herself, who needed flexibility and a work family that understands each other, did not have the choices they needed.
She believes that balance is the key to happiness and promotes self-development, self-care, and spirituality.
I am sure her story will be of interest to you.
In this episode, we chat about many things, including:
• Little Sarah the Disney Princess
• Not fitting in and realising everything is not a little bit Disney
• How singing gave her confidence
• Lessons from The Voice – Elation and Devastation
• Starting a business out of grief
• The Mortgage Mum as a movement – “lift as you climb”
• Diversity, Equity and The Mortgage Dad
• TV as validation
• Overexposure and dealing with critics
• The best piece of advice Sarah ever had
• The one person you would want to meet in history and what would you ask them
This is the Pathfinder Podcast, may the path you take be the right one for you.
Sarah on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_mortgage_mum
Sarah on Twitter - https://twitter.com/themortgagemum
Sarah on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/themortgagemum/
Sarah on The Voice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1Oxx8d-GhQ
You can contact and follow Monty:
Next Episode
Pathfinders 4 - Esther Dijkstra: From a rural Dutch village to the City of London, lessons in management and creating your own path
Esther Dijkstra is a role model to many young women, showing a drive and determination to be the best, and becoming an outstanding manager and leader of people.
From her early life growing up in a small rural village in the Netherlands and wanting to be a Prima Ballerina, Esther has worked her way up, traveling from Amsterdam to London, dealing with a different culture, and changing and learning along the way.
Esther began her career in management consultancy with IBM in the Netherlands and moved to the UK in 2000. She previously worked for Legal & General where she was the Commercial and Marketing Director of the L&G Network and UK Mortgage Club. She has been at Lloyds Banking Group for almost a decade now, formally Director of Strategic Partnerships and now the Managing Director, Intermediaries.
She is passionate about helping people and inspiring a new generation and has been described as “one of the best managers I have worked for in my 25-year career” by a previous employee.
There are so many nuggets in this episode and Esther really is a delight to talk to in this very open and revealing chat.
In this episode, we chat about many things, including:
• Growing up in a small rural town in The Netherlands which was too small to hold the adventurous Esther
• Wanting to become a Prima Ballerina
• Taking opportunities and changing your mindset
• The nickname that made Esther change
• Travelling to London and working as a foreign female in FS – dealing with cultural differences
• Advice for a new generation
• Management styles and changing attitudes – what makes a good manager?
• The importance of empathy and connection
• The key to leadership
• Esther's definition of success and connecting to the deeper why
• The best piece of advice Esther ever had
• The one person you would want to meet in history and what would you ask them
I am sure her story will be of interest to you.
This is the Pathfinder Podcast, may the path you take be the right one for you.
Esther on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherdijkstrauk
You can contact and follow Monty:
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