Every athlete knows that their sporting career will be brief compared to other professions, but Scott Moorhouse is proof that a lot can happen after calling time on the tracks.
He made his name during the 2012 Paralympic Games, where he represented Great Britain as a javelin thrower. But he knew that a future in sport would always be unpredictable.
“I had envisaged going on to compete in Rio in 2016, but there was some uncertainty as to whether my event would be included,” he says. “I have a through-knee leg amputation, so I competed in the F42 Javelin event with other athletes who had similar impairments.
“I was always conscious that, at some point, I’d have to join the real world and get a ‘real job’, for want of a better word. I’m 26 now, and I know that if I’d left it until my early 30s it would have been harder to make that leap.”
It did not take him long to spear another role, however. His break came unexpectedly during a temporary placement in 2013 inputting sales orders for castors-and-wheels specialist firm Ross Handling. “I got on quite well with the boss there, so when the financial advisor came to visit, she suggested that we have a quick meeting to talk about the business’s affairs,” he recalls. “That’s how the link came about with 7IM – she put me in touch with Stewart Sanderson, who is Head of Relationship Management here.”
Although 7IM didn’t have any available roles at the time, Sanderson got back in touch with Scott around Christmas that year to invite him to an interview. “At the time, I’d just started working in recruitment, but I’d already decided that it wasn’t something I wanted to do permanently!” he admits. “Being offered the job here was fantastic.”
Applying transferable skills Interestingly, it doesn’t take a javelin to bridge the gap between sport and finance. “In the past five to ten years, businesses have recognised the transferable skills that athletes can apply to the workplace,” says Scott. “Now, you see a lot of athletes going into the City after retiring from their sport.”
You would expect sportsmen and women to be able to apply their discipline and drive in a financial environment, but Scott says he’s noticed even more direct similarities between the two industries.
“There are so many different things to consider when putting together an investment plan – like putting together a training programme. While an investor will assess the state of the economy in comparison with their investment profile, an athlete will assess their own strengths and weaknesses in relation to the profile of their sport,” Scott explains.
“Then you’ve got to piece everything together with your end goal in mind: working out how much to invest in property, bonds, or high-risk equities is similar to working out how much time to spend in the weight room, or sprinting, and so on. Both are like jigsaw puzzles; you have to be very analytical.”
Learning the ropes This aptitude for investment didn’t just appear out of nowhere: Scott holds a degree in Business Management, and even dabbled in stocks and shares during his studies.
“I cringe when I look back at some of the things I did back then,” he laughs. “Once, I invested a rather large amount of my savings in AIM-listed stock, later learning that the company had underestimated some of its costs – by a couple of million.
“Fortunately, I’d extracted a bit of money before then – but it’s something you learn not to do twice. It did give me something to talk about in my interview at 7IM!”
Aiming for a new goal Even though Scott has laid his javelin to rest, he has in no way lost his sense of drive. “I’m working through my
CISI exams at the moment, and I’m really keen to get them under my belt as swiftly as possible,” he says. “I completed my
Level 4 Investment Advice Diploma in July, and I’ve got my Level 6 exam in
Private Client Investment Advice & Management in December. That’s the one that I need to make the jump from Assistant to Relationship Manager here, so that’s my goal for the moment.”
This go-getting attitude certainly comes as no surprise after an already jam-packed career. “I’ve been very lucky,” he reflects. “Sometimes in life, it’s about being in the right place at the right time. Obviously there was hard work involved in my athletic career, as with my career at 7IM, but I’ve also been fortunate to meet the right people along the way.”
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