Lucie Gordon is RBC Brewin Dolphin's first female head of office in Newcastle. After spending 15 years in the financial services industry with Standard Life, she joined RBC Brewin Dolphin and spent four years as a business development manager before becoming head of intermediary sales for the group in 2016.
What was your first job (and how much did it pay)? My first job was working as an admin assistant for what was then the DSS or Department of Social Security in Jarrow. I was 16 and I remember the office was above Presto supermarket in the shopping centre. It certainly was an eye-opener as a kid working in that environment and I learned so much about life.
I think my first wage was paid in cash and was around £56, which was a lot back then for a 16 year-old. It was only supposed to be a temporary role before starting college in South Shields, but I ended up staying for eight years and making lifelong friends. That’s the thing about being a civil servant; being around for decades in the same role is perfectly normal. I was in a team meeting one day and I thought to myself; there’s me in five years, there’s me in 10 years and there’s me in 20 years. I knew I had to leave then. I started to scan the Thursday night job pages in the Chronicle and found my first sales role with Standard Life and never looked back.
What is the best advice or support you’ve been given in business? Always trust your gut. I rely heavily on my values and if something doesn’t feel right, then trust myself to know it isn’t.
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What are the main changes you’ve seen in your business/sector, and what are the challenges you’re facing? One of the main changes I have seen is that it is very rare to find young people who expect to stay with the same company for their whole career. Training and developing young talent and keeping it is difficult but there is no better buzz for me than seeing people develop their potential and go onto bigger and better things. We really care about our clients and our employees, and creating a positive culture is something that I’m always striving for. One of my cheesy sayings at work is ‘happy hens lay eggs’. It sounds easy enough, yet it is a constant challenge to balance the health and happiness of employees with the needs of clients and the demands of the regulator. In my view as long as we always put our clients at the heart of what we do, then we will always be relevant.
How has the pandemic changed the way you work? Prior to lockdown, RBC Brewin Dolphin invested in laptops for all members of staff. We did away with telephones (which was bizarre and uncomfortable at the time) and used Skype and Teams instead. How little did we know how that would make working from home a very easy transition for us, and when the first lockdown hit, we were able to communicate with each other and our clients instantly. We work flexibly now and spend the majority of our time at our office in Newcastle. Three years on from the pandemic, we have found that being with each other and being able collaborate and bounce ideas off each other, achieves more than working alone remotely.
Who is your role model in business? I have been blessed by working closely with some brilliant people who have left an impression on me, which has shaped my career. I have taken the positive attributes and moulded them into who I am as a person, as being authentic is everything to me, so I’ve never tried to be anyone else.
What would your dream job be? I know it’s a cliché, but I have my dream job. It’s an incredible honour to lead a business like RBC Brewin Dolphin in Newcastle and being a woman with a background like mine, just goes to show how far the company has come in terms of change.
What advice would you give to someone starting out a career in your sector? Don’t do invisible work! I see this all the time and it drives me mad. What I mean is that people, especially women, do some great work, going above and beyond but keep it under wraps. Back yourself and people will notice.
What makes the North East a good place to do business? The people and how friendly and loyal they are. People used to say this to me all the time and you don’t really understand until you go and visit or live in another city or country, just how lucky we are that the people are so friendly.
How important is it for business to play a role in society? Wealth management is about helping people make the most of their money by driving better outcomes through service, technology and consistent performance. These are all things that are hygiene factors these days. What makes the difference is the human side of what we do in our communities and also giving trusted advice. As long as we keep that at the heart of what we do, we will play an important role in society.
Outside of work, what are you really good at? Not sure about the really good bit, but in the last couple of years I have re-kindled my childhood love of riding horses. I have an ex-racehorse called Bryan and he is my headspace that I need in my life. I’ve really enjoyed going for jumping lessons and despite the fact I’m the epitome of ‘all the gear and no idea’ and I’ve discovered I don’t know my left from my right when I’m under pressure, I don’t let that stop me.
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