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As part of our 10 questions series, we talked to Chris Chapman, co-founder of our very own business, Numitas.
Why did you choose a career in finance? From a young age I was always a bit of a statistician and enjoyed playing with numbers. I loved analysing the football league tables, arranging random numbers into patterns, that kind of stuff. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do right through to my second year of A Levels, when we had a partner from a local accountancy firm come in to talk to the group. Somehow, he managed to make accountancy seem exciting and I was sucked in from then.
What has been your greatest achievement so far? Having a successful career and launching my own business .
What ambitions do you still have? To continue to grow our business to be the go-to destination for senior finance roles.
What drives you? Being successful and respected.
Which job have you most enjoyed? My current one, of course! However, I have enjoyed every company I’ve been with, usually for different reasons; the ‘glamour’ of Lotus Cars as a 20 something young lad, the free first class travel with Anglia Railways (oh, and meeting my wife there!), the first foray into tech with Smallworld and a global role with international travel. I also got a buzz out of working for an ex-BBC Dragon, helping NFC experts Proxama grow from a two-person operation to 120 staff members and an AIM listing. Helping software business Brightpearl expand from five guys in a Bristol loft to 100 members of staff across the UK and California gave me a lot of satisfaction.
What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received? The harder you work, the luckier you get.
What are your hidden talents? I have loads, but they’re so well hidden that nobody else sees them!
Your hobbies Precious family time with my wife and two boys, Ipswich Town Football Club, F1, gardening, travelling and spending time with friends.
What was the greatest turning point in your life? On a personal level, finding my wife was by far the biggest and best move of my life. Career-wise, probably relocating to Cambridge in 2000 to move into the tech sector with Smallworld was pretty pivotal. From there, my network grew and I gained some invaluable experience working alongside some of Cambridge’s most successful entrepreneurs.
Tell us about the people you admire… In terms of people I know well or have worked with, excluding our fantastic Numitas team, I would have to list Charles Cotton and Richard Green as two of the most influential, but several others have played important roles at different times of my life.
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