INTERVIEW with Mark Anderson
Location: London
Current role: Group COO
One word that best describes how you work: Methodical
1. In your role as COO, how do you drive employee engagement across the expanding Clermont Group?
As our company grows year on year, and the compliance landscape constantly evolves! We have been striving to document and simplify processes, to ensure that everyone understands their role and purpose in each function and processes.
This initially started with introducing 5Series to replace a legacy system that was no longer being supported. We have then updated checklists and reporting to improve the efficiency of the processes too, but probably the most important development is the introduction of hands on guidance from Vicky, Caroline and Sam. Who are available to help with 5Series processes, Banking, Accounting, Dashboards, Queries.
The introduction of Kelly to the Geneva office has helped us give better support to our Geneva office. Kelly has also completed a lot of key projects, starting with the Geneva office move, which took a lot of patience!
Debbie and Magalie continue to give excellent support to our UK and Mauritian offices, respectively.
From an HR perspective we are always looking to improve the Starters process including setting up training for the various systems and processes, which should allow new people to feel a seamless transition into Clermont.
COVID, while terrible for the world, did allow our company to improve our collaboration, via Teams and Zoom. Anyone in the company can see and speak to anyone else, they are also able to share screens, which has helped engagement and training across the company.
Now that travel restrictions have eased we hope to get more operational people into our various offices to talk to users face to face, which is always the best way to improve rapidly
2. If you were a waiter, which famous person would you most like to serve?
Roger Federer, as he seems to be a genuinely nice person and will treat the waiter well! He has achieved huge success in his career, but also gives a lot back in his various charities, so it would be interesting to chat to him.
3. You have been with Clermont 4.5 yrs. What to date has been the highlight of your time with Clermont?
I can’t think of one particular highlight, as we have achieved so much over the last 4 to 5 years. A few highlights for me were, in no particular order:
Completing the project to move to 5Series
- DeltaCap joining Clermont to become Clermont Mauritius
- Improving the time to complete CRS and FATCA reporting from 4 months for 3-4 people to 1 month for 2 people, on average.
- Seeing how the operational team members step outside of their comfort zones and how they are helping shape the future operational processes of Clermont Group, based on their many years of experience.
- Our annual conferences which, historically, helped bring the company together to work more closely as one unit.
3. What are the most important aspects of company culture?
Togetherness and trust in one another. Clermont has grown rapidly and COVID has not allowed us to all get together, this will hopefully change in November when we will all catch up and meet each other face to face in Cape Town. The Importance of these conferences should not be underestimated.
4. Tell us, who do you look up to?
I admire anyone that is able to see everyone they encounter as human beings, and treat them equally and fairly. Everyone walks their own path, and we do not know what each person is dealing with, or has overcome.
If I had to choose particular people, I would base it on their best qualities. I would say that I admire
The philanthropic enterprises that Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates have setup and continue to support to try and improve the world we live in.
- The Vision of Elon Musk, who is willing to imagine new ways to move mankind forward, and then put in the work to realise that change.
- The resilience of Tiger Woods, who has had to overcome enormous odds to return from injury again and again.
- The humbleness of Nelson Mandela who realised that for a country to heal and try to come together, he had to forgive those that had done him wrong first, and move past his own sense of injustice.
Thank you for your contribution!
