LAUNCHING: ALEX PASKE
Current Employer:
The Mintridge Foundation
THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?
Founder & Managing Director
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
Now there’s a question…! I am still building a young company and therefore my daily routine changes on a regular basis, some of my daily jobs are listed below:
Visiting schools to promote our sporting programmes.
Costing and overseeing the administration of direct and remote mentoring programmes.
Supporting sporting ambassadors on event days.
Developing and improving programmes and training concepts.
Sourcing funding for clients.
Meeting and networking with new and inspiring athletes (this is my favourite part)!
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND WHAT CHANGED?
My dream was always to represent Great Britain in hockey at the Olympic Games. I always knew that this was my long term goal but with the benefit of hindsight, I can now say that I didn’t have the short term targets that are essential to achieve anything of such magnitude. I wouldn’t change a single element though, as this has taught me so much in my Mintridge venture. One of the key messages that I like to share with students of all ages is that it is important to follow your dream, but don’t be afraid for that dream to change!
WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?
10 GCSE’s, 3 A Levels & Sports Coaching Qualifications. I didn’t go to university which has aided my career rather than hindered it. Everyone has the ability to follow their own path. I want people to realise at any early age that success is different for each and every one of us.
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
Your dream job does not exist, you must create it!
Always build your contact base.
Always deliver your maximum! Be proactive, you can always strive to be doing more!
Create short term targets to achieve your long term goals!
Success takes time and lots of mistakes (just look at Nick Skelton in the Rio Olympics)!
Be stubborn about your goals but flexible about your methods.
Believe in yourself and trust your instinct!
Enjoy the journey and not just the destination!
Enjoy your day to day work.
Ensure that you have a work / life balance.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?
Jonny Wilkinson - At a young age, I was inspired by my sporting role model, Jonny Wilkinson, for his meticulous outlook on training and huge desires to work for his team and become the very best. To me, Jonny was amongst a pool of male role models that I looked up to growing up and I am now very keen to alter the gender gap and increase the number of female role models available for young people.
Steve Jobs – Early in the Mintridge journey, I got easily disheartened with a setback in the growth of Mintridge but I must remember that any new business takes time to build. It took Steve Jobs twenty years to succeed with Apple, need I say more?
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?
I am surrounding myself with talented professional athletes & inspiring role models that bring such positive energy to any room that they enter. I am in the front seat to see the impact that they have on young people and equally the impact that the young people have on them, re-energising and refocussing them amidst a gruelling training regime, for example.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?
Absolutely nothing! Each day is so diverse that I can never get complacent. I am in an exciting industry that is constantly changing and I have to be proactive in order for Mintridge to remain at the forefront. For example, the increase in use of technology to aid sports participation is an exciting opportunity for Mintridge to develop. I have worked closely with the fantastic company, Playwaze that have helped develop a bespoke area for our mentors and mentees.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
I will be doing what I’m doing now but on a much larger scale!
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?
To a certain extent! A lot of my initial client base in the early months of Mintridge was built from friends in teaching roles and so on, enabling our name to spread further than I envisaged. Those friends had to know and trust what they were buying into and therefore, to be yourself and the same person in all walks of life, is integral, you never know what and where your next opportunity is!
WHERE AND IN WHAT ROLES ARE WOMEN IN THE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AT YOUR COMPANY?
It is simply me, myself and I in the day to day work, with an incredibly supportive mum whose passion for photography has added a unique element to our event days. Half of my professional athlete ambassadors are female which promotes a greater number of inspiring female role models for young people. Sporting success is just one element of their inspiring stories.
DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?
My ambassador base echoes the importance of diversity to me whether that is ethnicity, disability, gender or sexuality. Each ambassador has a unique story that allows the students to build confidence and understand the importance of identity.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?
I am not at all good at switching off – this is an area that I am constantly striving towards as I cannot succeed without doing so!
WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?
You have to be proactive, conscientious and open to new ideas but to always remember what you set out to achieve!
ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
“What is success for you?”