When is the right time to pass the baton on? – by Dave Jones

So, when is the right time?

Those connections of mine that are spending lots of time on LinkedIn at the moment may have already noticed that I have just changed my job title. Tom Flannery and myself are no longer Joint Managing Directors of Reward Finance Group – we have handed the title over to Nick Smith with immediate effect.

Nick was hand-picked by myself as someone who I personally knew was more than capable of doing a great job for Reward, and had every chance of being the man that could drive Reward forward on and into the decade we now sit in. Tom wholeheartedly supported my choice and so Nick initially started as our Sales & Marketing Director in July 2016, fully justifying our faith in him within no time. His commitment, and the start of our succession planning, was sealed when he bought into the business seven months later.

Two years ago Nick took over responsibility for driving our then fledgling North West office, since which time he has built a fantastic Sales and Operational Team that are now making a massive contribution to the success of Reward.

Both Tom and myself will remain as Directors and underwriters and still be very much on the tools. We both remain 100% committed to Reward and have signed up for a minimum of two more years – however, having had a brief look into the future over the last couple of weeks whilst working from home I am now convinced more than ever that the retirement boat is one that I have no desire to sail on.

As far as my own personal introducer network is concerned, you won’t notice any difference. Karen Paige and myself will continue to be as accessible as ever, so don’t forget about us when you have a deal that needs putting to bed quickly and professionally.

Good luck to Nick. He may need some of that to navigate his way through the aftermath of the war we currently find ourselves in. However, I genuinely believe he is more than capable and that the business could not be in safer hands. The opportunity for Reward to make a difference is now greater than ever.

So, when do you pass the baton on? For me it’s simple – when you think you have found the right person, but more importantly you know they will look after what you have built. Also, don’t leave it so late that you stop becoming an asset and adding value, and start to become a nuisance. Many congratulations Nick. Make sure you keep putting the fun in funding.