Matt Hyde, Director Recruit 121 (Finance & FinTech) Managing Director of FinTech Awards Wales & London & Finance Awards Wales Meets:
Kate Bassett, Head of Delivery, Wales practice of BJSS
Please introduce yourself and your role in BJSS
I am Head of Delivery for the Wales practice of BJSS, a leading technology and engineering consultancy. As Head of Delivery I am responsible for 1) our people – recruiting them, developing them, supporting their careers and ensuring they enjoy working for BJSS, 2) our clients – building long term relationships and ensuring they get value from working with us and 3) delivery – all project delivery in Wales is under my watch! Although I grew up in Swansea, I have spent most of my career in London and so, now back in Wales, I am passionate about building our practice here and creating careers for people. BJSS works with a huge variety of global clients so it’s great to offer opportunities for people to do so when based in Wales.
Did I mention we’re hiring?!
Where are the opportunities for Fintech in Wales?
Wales has long been well represented in the Fintech industry and, you could say, we are punching above our weight for such a small country, when it comes to competing with traditional innovation centres like London.
With strong links to academia and therefore access to a fantastic talent pool, Wales is rapidly driving and contributing towards the innovation that has made Britain a worldwide Fintech centre of excellence.
It is clear that the Welsh Fintech sector will continue to thrive and deliver economic, professional and societal advantages, that will benefit everyone.
What does being involved in Fintech Awards Wales mean to BJSS?
The Awards have a great reputation in Wales and so we are thrilled to be a part of them. Our involvement allows us to engage with fantastic Welsh organisations and talent. As one of the newer BJSS offices, we are keen to integrate and contribute as much as possible to the local ecosystem.
What advice would you give a young technical professional?
Get as much experience and exposure to various industries, sectors, tech, ways of working as you possibly can. I have spent most of my career working in Consulting and love it for the simple reason that no two days are the same and you are exposed to a new challenge every day. We have people who join us as Apprentices, Graduates through to those with 30-40 years’ experience. I’m always happy to talk to anyone who might be interested in a career in consulting.
What books and podcasts would you recommend and why?
My favourite book is, of course, our Enterprise Agile Methodology, available on our website and every BJSS office! Beyond that, I firmly believe in the power of positivity and the need to visualise to realise etc, so anything along those lines is good for me. I’m not a huge podcast-listener but top of my list will of course be the BJSS podcast, followed by Tony Robbins and that of a friend, Elemental Health, which is really interesting.