Wave is a supplier of water to businesses in the UK and employing 300 people in Durham and Peterborough. Lucy Darch joined the firm as CEO in 2017, leading a joint venture between Northumbrian and Anglian Water in the UK's newly deregulated non-household water market.
What was your first job (and how much did it pay)? My first job was as a sales support coordinator for Friend’s Provident, which was a mortgage, insurance and pensions advisory service. I think that financially, for me personally, I was actually worse off working for them than I was as a student! As a student I had my grants, my student loan, and my fees paid, which I think worked out at more than the £9,000 a year starting salary I got from Friend’s Provident.
However, while working there, I received valuable financial advice and education. They taught me about pensions and life insurance, which prior to the role I didn’t know a great deal about. This gave me the tools to get on the property ladder and buy my first flat, which turned out to be a really smart investment.
