Who. Is. Hintel?
As part of our Building Tomorrow Together series, we’re saying H! to our leadership team; the people behind the data, the people behind the words, and the people behind our business. Each leader has walked a different path in life and provide unique expertise to our service offering. They might have their own specialism, but they all have one thing in common: they’re passionate about people.
First featured in the series is Paul Day, Finance Director, who has over 25 years of experience in financial services and 15 within recruitment, working across the UK, Europe, and Asia.
Tell us about your career background
After University, I qualified as a chartered accountant but left the practice I was employed in at the time to pursue a career in recruitment as I wanted to work in a commercial environment.
I joined a major Engineering Procurement and Construction contractor, Foster Wheeler, and spent a significant number of years in the financial accounting and tax departments before taking an opportunity to relocate to Singapore as a project accountant for a $1 billion project to build an Aromatics plant.
Once this was completed, I stayed with Foster Wheeler in Singapore as the Finance Director before relocating to France with the management team to rescue an underperforming company within the group.
After 2 years in the post, I returned to England to become the finance director of a US-owned recruitment company. I, along with the rest of the senior leadership team collectively grew the business organically and through acquisitions to become a multi-service company with revenues in excess of £300 million. Since then, I have worked for privately owned recruitment companies continuously with the ambition to drive shareholder value.
What is a valuable lesson you learned in your career?
There are 3 valuable lessons:
- Respect all your colleagues and the fact that everybody works in a different way. It is the end result that counts the most.
- Do not be afraid of change and take risks and opportunities early in your career until you find the work that excites you.
- Be responsible for your actions and work with a team. Do not be afraid to make decisions within your scope of delegated authority.
A decision, good or bad is better than inertia and you will not always be right.
What do you think is the key to professional success?
In my opinion, the key to professional success is to always stay current and be proficient. It is more important that you are fair and respected rather than liked and at some stage, your friends may become your employees as you grow your career. Surround yourself with good people and encourage them to challenge you and make data-based decisions as much as possible. Finally, be inclusive and collaborative.
What skills and knowledge can you offer Hintel clients?
I have extensive knowledge of the Hintel products and offerings and can offer operational support as well as commercial acumen based on previous contracts awarded and won. The Hintel service and products require operational excellence and an efficient back-office process to ensure the supply chain is properly managed from a risk perspective and is financially secure. I along with Pete Sheppard, Hintel MD, have the expertise and shared experience to deliver these solutions for clients.
I have personally created and helped deliver multi-million-pound commercial solutions for companies such as Nationwide, Balfour Beatty, Easyjet, T Mobile, Verizon, and Vinci.
How do you want people to remember you?
I enjoy seeing companies grow and people develop, but I have no ambition to be remembered; I see myself as a good football referee who keeps the game flowing without drawing attention to themselves.
The success is that people talk about the game and the key points within the match which are navigated by the players, not the performance of the referee.
If you could give a younger person career advice, what would it be?
Until you know what you want to do try as many jobs as possible to get an idea of what excites and interests you. Once you find it, commit 100%, respect your colleagues and take responsibility for your role as much as you can. If the workdays feel long, then you are probably in the wrong job!
