Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Saxo UK boss Andrew Bresler tells us about his career, from disastrous interviews to client lunches, in this week’s Square Mile and Me
CV
Name: Andrew Bresler
Job title: CEO at Saxo UK
Previous roles: A real mix of all things finance from senior trading positions in the UK, HK and Singapore, to driving brokerage and digital investment growth at large banks and technology providers.
Age: 43
Born: Johannesburg, South Africa
Lives: Guildford, Surrey
Studied: Economics
Talents: Being ppersistently bad at golf
Motto: Have a view. Add value.
Biggest perk of the job? The breadth of my role. Being able to move from a discussion on marketing efficiency, to regulatory horizon impacts, to shaping a digital client journey, and then back to managing a specific risk exposure, all within just a couple of hours.
Coffee order: Decaf flat white (yes, decaf)
Cocktail order: Mezcal margarita
Favourite book: The Road, Cormac McCarthy
What was your first job?
At high school, I made weekend pocket money cutting classmates’ hair with a pair of clippers. When I moved to London with very little in the bank, my first proper job was in the mailroom of a financial services company – printing, packing and pushing a mail cart around the building. It wasn’t glamorous, and I didn’t do it for long, but it gave me an early start, an early finish, and the chance to look for the next step.
What was your first role in the City?
My City career began in Canary Wharf, working in the settlements team at One Canada Square. Settlements are the unglamorous but frantic end of the trade cycle, and it was exhilarating to feel part of global markets. But I always knew I wanted to be closer to the action in the front office.
When did you know you wanted to build a career in the City?
Moving to London gave me the bug to “make it” in a big city. After my stint in Canary Wharf, I got the chance to learn global macro trading through FX. Being on the sharp edge of news and markets colliding was electrifying. Finance has taken me around the world, living abroad, travelling widely, pitching to clients, and I’ve never looked back.
What’s one thing you love about the City of London?
The diversity. It’s a unique mix of people from every background, all forging their own path in one vibrant, global hub.
And one thing you would change?
The commuting! Getting around London is not for the faint-hearted.
What’s been your most memorable job interview?
Very early in my career, I had a disastrous interview at a firm similar to a sector I am in now. At the end, the CEO handed me £3 and told me to buy a pint of ale and “think about where my life was going”. Tough love, but a valuable lesson. I’d been underprepared and tried to blag it. The very next interview I nailed – and that role put me on the career path I’m on today.
And any business faux pas?
I once introduced my new boss to a room full of colleagues… using the wrong name. Not great for the public speaking nerves!
What’s been your proudest moment?
Oh easy – but cliche – becoming a dad. There’s nothing that prepares you for that moment and the joy and turbulence to come. Makes getting up and commuting each day worth it.
And who do you look up to?
I’ve had some great bosses over the years, the best of which has been a long-time friend and mentor. Seeing them do well, and following in their footsteps is inspiring to me
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?
Business is all about the people. Get the people part right, put the right effort in and the results will naturally follow. With the wrong people, it won’t.
And the worst?
“It’s ok, we’ll figure it out later!” You might not, and it’s way more painful to learn that when you are further down the line.
Are you optimistic for the year ahead?
Always. You need to balance optimism with realism, of course, but there’s a lot to be excited about: better regulatory dynamics, rapid advances in technology and more investors eager to put money to work. At the same time, political uncertainty, at home and abroad, can derail even the best-laid plans.
We’re going for lunch, and you’re picking – where are we going?
I hate picking restaurants, especially at lunch. Left to me, it’ll probably be Pret. That said, I did have a brilliant client lunch at Noble Rot in Mayfair recently.
And if we’re grabbing a drink after work?
A pub, any one with a good buzz. The City’s pub culture is unbeatable.
Where’s home during the week?
Guildford, Surrey.
And where might we find you at the weekend?
Hopefully fishing, or golfing. As long as it’s outdoors.
You’ve got a well-deserved two weeks off. Where are you going and who with?
Somewhere different each time. I love adventure. Last summer we spent two weeks in the Alps hiking and swimming in lakes, the perfect reset.