thumbnail_NP in i360cropped800x500I grew up in… Hove (with a short foray to London but soon boomeranged back).

Now I live in… Brighton, near Preston Park (although neither the park nor the manor are anything to do with me, unfortunately).

When I was a child I wanted to be… either a professional footballer or a drummer in a rock band.

My first job was… delivering cakes with my Granddad during school holidays, at silly o’clock, aged 7. My payment was a cheese and tomato roll for breakfast and a Wimpy quarter-pounder for lunch.

My career was most influenced by… my Dad, who taught me respect for others and the benefits of hard work and sincerity.

The best piece of advice I was given was… be yourself, everyone else is taken.

The worst piece of advice I was given was… don’t worry about other people, just concentrate on yourself!? I wouldn’t have achieved what I have, personally or professionally, without significant contributions from others.

When I need inspiration I… speak with friends, family and business contacts; or I listen to music – it’s amazing how it can get the creative juices going.

The biggest turning point in my career was… starting Preston Insurance Brokers in December 2012 and having the opportunity to give my ideas on client care a go… it seems to be working out OK so far.

I love what I do because… of the people. Whether it’s colleagues, clients or business contacts, relationships are by far the most fulfilling part of my job.

Not many people realise that… insurance can actually be fun! At Preston Insurance Brokers we take what we do very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously and we try to have fun with our clients along the way.

Our customers love us because… we truly care about what we do. We spend a lot of time getting to know them and their businesses inside out.

I love Brighton & Hove because… of the people, the sea and the unique culture – it’s my home town.

My top tip for people visiting Brighton & Hove is… go with the flow. Just come with a relaxed approach and you’ll have fun.

My favourite place in Sussex is… oh this is difficult! The seaside of course, but I also enjoy a good walk across Devil’s Dyke in autumn. Sheffield Park and Gardens has beautiful views… and I do love going to Gars Chinese in town.

In my spare time I… enjoy spending time with my wife and two sons supporting their interests in cricket, football, baseball or Army Cadets. I love good food and drink, and I also play the drums for three bands. I try to support Rockinghorse children’s charity whenever I can. If it hadn’t been for them my eldest son may not be with us after his premature birth. To this end I am supporting the 50th Anniversary of Rockinghorse by putting on an event #50Songsfor50Years on Friday 23 June at the BrightHelm Centre. More information will be announced soon but needless to say I’ll be a sweaty mess behind my drum kit by the end of it!

My claim to fame is… I was a ball-boy at Wimbledon tennis in 1984 and was caught on TV when four of us were playing a pretend game of tennis on Court 2. I seem to remember we got into a bit of trouble for that!

This time next year… hopefully I’ll still be smiling!

Preston Insurance Brokers provide bespoke, comprehensive and competitively priced insurance protection for businesses. Contact them to find out more.