The Best day of your life.

Back in the late 90s I worked for the Investment Banking arm of Barclays Bank-BZW.

In truth for most of the time I had an amazing job there as Head of International Equity Sales my role was to visit all the major Institutions in the Investing world out side of The UK and The USA. I will write at a later date of some of my experiences in this role but not now. Suffice it to say I ran up a load of air miles and went to some amazing places.

Anyway BZW was so ‘public school’ and ‘Oxbridge’ it was not true. The complete and utter opposite of Phillips and Drew. There were loads of Old Etonians on the staff a number of hereditary peers. Whilst I somehow excelled in the environment it certainly was not because I was one of the typical BZW ‘boys’.

I was on all sorts of committees and developed a very close friendship with a man called Robert Lister. A classicist by education he was one of the funniest and most intelligent people I have ever met. He was of the opinion that in a job interview any candidate should be given the ‘chance to shine’ by asking them appropriate ‘open questions’. One of the committees I was a member of was responsible for hiring new recruits as trainees. I had threatened to resign from this group on many occasions as the people we hired were always the same. Well bred, well educated but from all the best Public Schools and almost exclusively Oxbridge. On this particular day I skimmed through the CVs and announced to me colleagues that this would probably be my last appearance as the whole process was all but a formality. One or two looked uncomfortable in the meting and the first man, nearly always men, was called, super self confident in a tailored suit. I was bored.

A succession of ‘me too’s’ appeared and most around the table crooned their approval of the ‘Mini me’s’ of their own incarnation. I offered a stinging rebuke to those around the table and given that all had learned that my contribution to the firms business was based on a wholly different background to the norm and their own some even seemed embarrassed.

At last a man from Dublin. I took notice. I will leave his name out of the article so as to protect his privacy. Anyway he walked in looking awkward and wearing ‘the wrong sort of suit’. He sat down and Robert, who despite his own back ground being like most of the others shared my views asked a few introductory questions before the big one. This mans chance.

So “Patrick’ (or what ever) “tell us about the best day in your life” Patrick sat up suddenly animated. ‘Oh for sure that would be easy’ he drawled in his lovely Irish burr of an accent. ” Now my father has a business” he said ” and he saddles a few race horses” (race horse owner of some repute I later learned) Any way “last Easter we were at the Curragh with a group of my best mates and we were there to watch my father’s horse in the big race. And the crack was good”. “Now on that day in the big race me sister, who is a jockey, was riding my fathers horse” The interview committee had now become entranced and all were listening intently. He became visably more confident and he drew his body forward across the table and his voice dropped a few notes and the volume was a sort of stage whisper.

“Anyway they were off me with my mates the crack good and me sister on me dads horse. They came down the straight and I saw me sister wave her whip and she came along side the leading horse and all my mates were going mad. His voice rising in volume as he went rather like a commentator on th TV. All of a sudden it was over me sister had won and she threw her arms in the air and my mates jumped up and down and we all hugged each other” ” Oh to be sure that was the very best day of my life”. The reaction was startling one of the grey Eton, Oxford types jumped to his feet. ” You sir are hired’ he said with out any consultation. No problem though as all were agreed this was a very special young man.

Now the truth is Patrick was an excellent hire and his career blossomed indeed he is still working in the City in a senior position and is very well known to many as someone who not only is an excellent businessman but a delightful character to boot.

The year before last I was at the retirement party of a good friend who had risen to lofty heights enjoying a beer and catching up with old friends when a familiar face appeared. “Hello Dennis” he said in a soft Irish accent. It was ‘Patrick’. “I just wanted to thank you he said because I was informed how big a role you played in encouraging BZW to break the mould and hire me. I have had a wonderful career and I am so grateful some one had the foresight to see that sometimes being different is an advantage” We had a lovely chat and I had the great pleasure of introducing Patrick to my son who had been invited to the party as the man’s career we were celebrating was a family friend. I had told the story of this Irishmans hiring many times as I thought it a humorous tale. Tom was therefore delighted to put a face to a story so to speak. I had one final question for Patrick. “Patrick” I said I am so pleased to hear of your success but one thing has always troubled me” “what ever happened to your sister”? “Oh’ said Patrick ‘she only went and married AP Mcoy!!!!!