Matt Stent works in BIE’s Interim CFO and Financial Leadership practice. We chatted to Matt about life on the interim desk, why an honest approach always works best and his close encounter with a 6ft shark!
What’s your greatest source of job satisfaction?
Getting under the bonnet of a business and understanding their pain points. Working on the interim desk, you are often dealing with a problem statement as opposed to a job brief and being able to provide a resource that delivers a tangible result, which is often seen in the public domain, is really interesting.
What’s the secret of your career success?
Trust the process. Recruitment is a sales role ultimately, with many ups and downs. You will have good and bad days in equal measure, but if you see each day as a fresh start and stick to the basics you will go far.
What have you learnt along the way?
Try to put yourself in the shoes of whoever you are dealing with. I’ve been on both sides of the fence when either looking for work or looking to hire, and a lack of transparency has always been a cause of frustration for everyone in the chain. Regular communication and an honest approach is what we strive for and work best with those that offer it in return.
Describe your professional style
Curious, candid and empathetic.
What top tip would you give to people looking to move up in their career?
Network! I always stress this to those looking to step up as the strength of your network is invaluable and the only way to build it is by setting time aside to speak to people.
In the era of virtual meetings, it has never been easier to put 30 minutes in the diary for a catch up. I think it’s safe to say 2020 showed us all that we don’t know what’s around the corner, so think long term as you never know what will come from it.
How would you sum up the BIE culture?
Low ego, collaborative and considerate.
Name one unusual fact about yourself
I once caught a shark. I was off the coast of NSW in Australia and caught it completely by chance. The shark was at least 6ft (without poetic license) and it took over 20 minutes to get it alongside the boat before I lost it. I was later told the boat would have been too small to bring it onboard anyway.
If given a chance, who would you be for a day?
Paul Heckingbottom.
Name one thing on your bucket list
Safari in South Africa has always been up there, conveniently tied in with 5 days watching England at Newlands.
If you could pick up a new skill in an instant, what would it be?
The ability to hit a golf ball straight.
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