Lee envisioned a place where his peers could learn from each other and navigate what was becoming an increasingly dynamic financial landscape in the UK and abroad.
Things that had worked for decades were changing. The only way to navigate this was as a network of financial professionals across the stages of their careers.
Plus, this emerging effort would give him the chance to put his own legacy to work.
This industry had given Lee so much, and he knew that by making a career in financial services more approachable for more people, he’d leave a mark that he could be proud of.
With the seed of this idea in mind, Lee turned to his friend and fellow Scotsman, financial technology specialist Andy Brown. Over takeout, he asked Andy the questions he had been trying to figure out alone: “How can we find a way to reunite an industry that’s growing apart?”
Andy volunteered to partner with Lee on the spot. Now this dynamic duo turned to their professional networks to find additional co-founders. Almost immediately, they found Rob Page, a celebrated global chief management officer; Jon Rocchi, the former commercial director of business newspaper Financial Express; and multi-award winning journalist Gary Shepherd.
Now, they were a team. And “Octo Members” was born.