Would-be Scottish FDs told move to London

by Catherine Woods - Thursday, 29th May 2008 -

The former finance director of F&C Asset Management, Ian Paterson Brown, says Scottish chartered accountants should cut their teeth in London if they ultimately want to get a top FD appointment in their home country.

Paterson Brown is currently chief operating officer of Resolution Asset Management, which was bought by Pearl last month. He joined the investment group in 2006 after retiring from a lengthy career in the City.

He has this advice for Scottish CAs: “If you eventually want to be a high-profile finance director in Scotland, you’re better off moving south of the border.”

Paterson Brown says he wasn’t looking for an FD job when he decided to return to Scotland full-time: “To some extent I’d done that, got the T-shirt; I didn’t want to do that anymore.

“Being an FD is a lonely job. There aren’t many people you can turn to.”

Luckily for him, there were plenty of jobs available within Scotland's financial services industry for someone with his level of experience. Paterson Brown notes: “When I made the decision to join Resolution, I had four job offers on the table.”

His comments come as Edinburgh hosts the inaugural Global Financial Services week, which aims to showcase the depth and strength of the Scottish financial services sector.

At today's Global Financial Services conference, Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond has announced the creation of a new body focused on ensuring the country’s financial services industry remains strong and ahead of the game.

Picture source

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