RETIREMENT
On July 21st, 1980 I stood outside Midland Bank, Syston, waiting to be let in for my first day at work. Now, 42 years later, I am about to start my final day with HSBC.
As I contemplate my retirement with not a small degree of trepidation, I have been reflecting on the many wonderful opportunities that the bank has given me. I met my fantastic wife, Joanna, through the bank. I was introduced to the Lake District when I was offered a place on an Outward Bound course there in 1986 and I have travelled to some amazing places with my work including Japan, Bermuda, Kazakhstan, Poland, Turkey, Spain, Malta and of course India.
The bank is a very different place today than it was when I joined in 1980. The pace of work has increased significantly, not least with recent developments in digital. (When I started we didn’t have mobile phones, laptops or even fax machines, and the internet hadn’t been invented!). Constant change is now a fact of life, and it brings huge opportunity for those who embrace it. A lot of the changes in my early career were presented to me by my managers, but In later years it became necessary to apply for jobs which would provide my development opportunities. I’ve been lucky to have worked in a wide variety of roles and functions. I’m not going to list them all, but they’re in my profile if you’re really interested. When I left school and joined the bank, I could not have imagined how my career would play out. I have achieved far more than I would ever have dared to dream about and I am proud of the way in which I have done it.
I will be forever grateful to the wonderful customers and colleagues that I have had the privilege to work with along the way. Thank you if our paths have crossed during the past 42 years - I have learned so much from all of the people that I have met, they have all shaped the person that I am today.
My retirement plans include: completing the Wainwrights (192 done, 22 to go); rugby, lots of travel …… and apparently a bit of DIY. With a bit of luck I will be able to combine my love of rugby and travel by heading off to France for the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
Anyway, I still have a day to go, so I’d better get my laptop fired up!
Derek
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