Q&A with Greg Coleshill, Managing Director of Risk Regulation and Compliance
Pubished 23rd November 2021
Join us as we learn about what the team has accomplished over the last 18 months and their plans for the future.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your business
My name is Greg Coleshill and I’m the Managing Director of InterQuest’s Risk, Regulation, and Compliance function. I’ve been with the business for 14 years this year. Initially I joined a business called Intelect, an IT staffing business based in Manchester which InterQuest acquired just as I joined and have progressed within the company to my current role.
We support Financial Services clients in the UK, across Europe, and the US to hire sought-after risk, regulation and compliance talent. We work with a range of clients including; large banks, payments firms, cards businesses and lenders, crypto companies, fintechs, and start-ups where we genuinely partner to deliver real positive outcomes. We have offices in Manchester and London, with teams in both locations and plans for teams internationally as the start of 2022.
Outside of work I'm a big Manchester United season ticket holder and get to as many games as I can when I’m not with my three and five year old kids.
The last 18 months have been challenging for the world. Can you talk us through your experience during that time?
At the start of the pandemic, I feared the worst. I thought it was going to be similar to 2008 in financial services when the market was very challenging. Back then it was a client-led market and clients weren't hiring! There was a large number of candidates, but client demand was low which made things very hard.
It has panned out very differently over the last 18 months and, from my perspective, there are a few reasons why.
Firstly, the market is materially different to 2008 where hiring was typically centred around the larger banks hiring heavily and regularly. However, now there's been a huge proliferation within the banking industry with challengers and fintechs broadening the market.
Instead of relying on several key large banking clients, we work with a huge range of fintechs, startups, and payment firms. Crypto businesses are also generating more and more demand. This wider client base has made us more robust throughout this period.
Additionally, the market hasn't been impacted in the same way as in 2008. Demand has stayed high. Technology and digitalisation have ensured that there's new risks, new requirements, and new challenges that must be addressed and dealt with.
How has the business performed over the last 18 months?
From a performance perspective last year, we as a business outstripped budget, which was certainly not what my expectation was at the beginning of COVID. Although partly down to the market, it is absolutely a testament to the hard work of the team. I was so proud of how everyone in the team responded to the challenge of COVID - how resilient, hardworking and dedicated everyone was.
This allowed us to thrive last year and is certainly putting us in a good position for 2021, where again we've materially outstripped budget. We are one of the group’s best-performing staffing businesses and we continue to perform extremely highly.
Going into 2022, we plan to really capitalise on a strong 2021 and build on our growth with significant hires in the UK, Europe, and the US.
What do you think are the reasons for your performance despite the situation?
I think it's down to three key things.
I've already discussed the market. The market is very different, it’s not like it was in 2008. There has still been demand out there. We have pivoted, historically we were heavily UK focused. However, in the past 18 to 24 months we have supported clients in Ireland, the UK, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, the Nordics and the USA. We've diversified our client base in terms of location and that's allowed us to not only support more clients but support them more deeply.
Secondly, I’d point to the team they’ve been unbelievable, supporting each other, whether it's personally or professionally. They've worked hard, been dedicated, resilient and without that response to the challenges we faced I guarantee we wouldn't have been successful.
Finally, I believe fundamentally that if you treat people right, or if you do good things, good things will happen and that goes for candidates and clients. I think for me it's important that whether it's candidates or clients, we treat them absolutely how we'd want to be treated. Having regular updates, clarity, honesty and being trusted advisors and rather than just a supplier.
What are your plans for 2022?
2021 has been a brilliant year and it's put us in a fantastic position to continue to invest and grow the business. There are several initiatives as a group we are going to put in place to ensure that we do capitalise on the good work we've done.
First and foremost, we plan to have local offices in several jurisdictions. Imminently Amsterdam is going to be our first one in early 2022, with plans for Dublin and the US in New York to follow shortly after.
We see growth in the sectors we work in and I genuinely believe we have a good name due to the positive work we've done.
Additionally, as a group, we are committing to developing future talent. We've had real success this year with taking on a number of graduates who've performed fantastically and been engaged. We want to continue to genuinely build talent.
I joined straight from university, so I think it is important we are offering similar opportunities for the future. Being able to pass that on and support people early in their careers and hopefully watch them grow, as many of the team have, would be fantastic. We have a real commitment to hiring entry-level people and supporting them to build careers within the business.
Join the Family
We’d encourage anyone who is interested in joining our family to call the careers team or Greg to talk through your professional aspirations and ambitions.
Careers Team: 0207 258 2405
Greg Coleshill: +44 (0) 7917 576 781
Or, if you would prefer to drop us an email, our team will be in contact at a time that suits you:
