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Women in Leadership
Name: Sam Hall-Hirsch
Role: Paraplanner/Team Manager and Interior Designer
Company: Hall and Hirsch Design Studio
A bit about you: I live in Loose Village with my husband, 2 children and our cocker spaniel, Murphy.
I have always been creative and would have loved a career which used this skill set. But, at the age of 20, a desire for independence and to earn my own money saw me stumble into a career in Financial Services where I worked for 28 years as both a Paraplanner and Team Manager.
When I reached 33, I decided I wanted to take more control of my working week so I became self-employed which meant I no longer worked for a company but for myself. I was in control of how much money I could charge, what hours I worked and this allowed me to work partly from home and move out of London and to the country which I’d always wanted to do.
Six years ago, while still working in the Financial Services sector, I was craving creativity. So, I started my own online boutique and pop-up shop but, running a household, working part time in financial services and raising 2 children didn’t leave me the time I needed to invest in this project so I closed the online shop and now just run the pop up shop occasionally. I designed and manage my own website www.isla-grace.co.uk which is still up and running.
Two years ago, I took a break from working in Financial Services to fulfil a lifelong passion and successfully completed a diploma in Professional Interior Design with the National Design Academy. COVID put a stop to me starting up my own business but now we are coming out the other side, I am currently working on my website and very much looking forward to new adventures.
What is it like working in your company? Financial Services sector - As I am self-employed I have worked in many different companies so, my roles have been varied from lead paraplanner, to managing teams of support staff, to helping set up new teams and manage the office. I very much enjoy the variety, working with different people and seeing the teams and systems I have helped to set up become an intrinsic part of the company.
Online Boutique/Pop Up Shop/Interior Deisgner - I was able to take all of the skills I had learned from working within the Financial Services to help me set up my own business using the creativity I love. Running your own business is hard and, as with the online shop, it doesn’t always work out as you plan. But, this hasn’t put me off setting up my own Interior Design Studio, far from it infact, it’s made me more determined! I take to my new venture all the lessons learned from the last.
Why did you decide to go into your chosen field? I didn’t really. I wasn’t in a position financially to go to university so I decided to choose subjects which I thought would set me on a good career path and earn me a good living. I needed to gain experience so left college and started to work as a junior secretary for a small firm of independent financial advisors (IFAs) in the City where I stayed for 10 years, working my way up to Head Paraplanner and PA for the Director.
My passion lies in being creative so this is the area I am now focusing on and shall build a career in. It’s great to be learning new skills in something I love.
What qualifications and work experience did you need to reach your current position? Financial Services Sector - I left the education system with 7 GCSEs, 2 A levels in English and Law and accreditations in secretarial skills the latter of which I knew would always stand me in good stead for jobs in the City. I chose a sector I could work my way up through and which I could train and study for whilst on the job. With my A levels subjects and secretarial skills, my aim was to go into a law firm and work my way up to become a Legal Executuve. However, I needed to have completed a Legal Secretarial course in order to secure myself a good starting position so, I secured a junior secretarial role at a small family run firm of Financial Advisers in the City which paid for me to do a night class in a Legal Secretarial Course. While working there, I realised I enjoyed the Financial Services sector and the people I was working with. What’s more they wanted to pay for me to study for the Financial Planning Certficate which would allow me to work my way up the career ladder so, that’s exactly what I did and I have never worked in any company which has anything to do with Law which just goes to prove, things don’t always work out as planned!
Interior Designer - I paid for a remote learning course for a diplmona in Professional Interior Design with the National Design Academy. It was very important to ensure I chose the right course, as not all remote learnings diplomas are recognised within the industry.
I periodically attend courses to learn new skills which I think will help me in my role as Interior Designer, one of them being a furniture upcycling course with the renowned Annie Sloan. This has lead to a passion for ‘upcycling’, for turning old pieces of furniture of unloved furniture into something vibrant and new.
What do you enjoy the most about your job? Working with people within the workplace and clients.
Helping clients to reach their goals, be they financial ones or design ones.
I like helping people and as a manager it’s great to see team members furthering their knowledge, skill set and progressing through their career which you have helped them to achieve.
As an Interior Designer, it’s very rewarding transforming spaces so that they not only look beautiful for the clients but function better for their lifestyle needs.
What obstacles have you overcome in your career? I can’t really say there have been any great obstacles as such to speak of. However, I would say that in the mid 90s the higher paid jobs in Financial Services were heavily dominated by men. I still recall sitting the first paper of my Financial Planning Certificate at the age of 23 and being one of only a handful of women out of a room of what must have been 50 candidates, I was even asked in a break if I was there to take notes! Thankfully, this has changed over the years and now many women hold high ranking and highly esteemed roles throughout the industry…and rightly so!
Why do you think it is important to have a strong female representation in your industry? I think it is important to have a strong female representation in any industry. It is important for women to feel they have a voice and empower themselves to be the best at what they can be within their chosen career paths, even if that industry might be more male dominated than others…if you want it and are willing to work hard for it…go get it!
What advice would you give those wanting to take a similar career path? Do your research, find out exactly what qualifications you will need to start you on your journey. If you are willing to work hard for what you want and continue with your learning throughout your career then you will succeed.
Your career path may not always take you in the direction you intended so just remember you are in control of it and, if at any point you are not happy with the direction it is taking empower yourself to make the changes needed to set you back on track.
A lot of our life is spent on our working week so it is important that your chosen career path is in something you really want to do even have a passion for.
It is never too late to change your career and it is never too late to learn new skills!
