Susie Foottit, Director and Wealth Management Adviser
Susie Foottit left school at 15 years old without any qualifications. She has come a long way since then.
From a standing start of around 20 clients, she has risen to become both a director and shareholder at Helm Godfrey, and in August will celebrate 40 years working in the financial services industry.
During that time she has worked tirelessly to bring increasing numbers of new entrants into the advice profession, and has gone above and beyond (and high and low) to support the work of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Her achievements culminated in being named role model of the year at the inaugural Women in Investment awards, an accolade Susie describes as being the highlight of her career.
She spoke to Illuminate about how her career has evolved, and how she still loves her job 40 years on.
The road to Helm Godfrey
Susie’s early career saw her working in advertising sales in the local newspaper the Surrey Advertiser, and in the back office of insurance company Guardian Royal Exchange, which eventually became part of Axa.
A housemate introduced her to working in London as a financial adviser, though Susie is the first to admit those early days selling life insurance and regular savings plans is a world away from the service-led advice of today. She found talking to people and being inquisitive came naturally to her, and she seemed to be good at the role – this is borne out by the fact she still counts some of those initial 20 clients among her clients today.
Posted with permission by Nucleus Financial.
