Morne Redgard, CEO of SBS Wealth

I started my career as a financial advisor. I loved interacting with people and hearing their life stories. It probably had a lot in common with my first job as a barman!

When people talk, they don't always tell you everything. They will give you little bits of information; if you are listening properly, you can tie this all together into the full picture.

The job taught me how to really listen. I still use this skill today: listening not to respond. It’s a key skill for leaders.

I started at the bottom in wealth management and banking and moved my way up, leading larger parts of these businesses.

I’ve worked in seven different organisations. I bounced around a bit more when I was younger, but spent ten years in my last organisation in South Africa. I have been in New Zealand for 6.5 years and I have been with two organisations.

I have wanted to be a CEO since I was a teenager. I'm a pretty focused individual but I did have some doubts as the years passed by.

I had to restart a couple of levels lower when I emigrated from South Africa to New Zealand. That’s when the doubts really began to kick in. In the end, I got the first CEO position that I applied for.

When you start the job: don't put too much pressure on yourself. Get to know the people, get to know the business. You won't have all the answers on day one.

Develop a strong business network. When you move into a CEO role one of your first tasks is to make sure that you surround yourself with a capable senior team. It could mean that the senior team that is already there is more than capable, but if they are not, then you need to know who you can call on.

Being a CEO is such a privilege. A lot of the times we are so busy that we forget to stop and breath and just enjoy the privilege of leading teams of very capable people.

What makes being a CEO difficult is that by the time a decision gets to you, all the easy decisions have already been made. That means only the difficult ones are left.

Watch your behaviour. Some of your team are future CEOs, so make sure that the behaviours that you bring to work every day are the behaviours that enable people to be better and not worse.

I'm passionate about making financial advice accessible to more New Zealanders. That’s why I turn up and do the job every day.