From the Soccer Pitch to the Boardroom

People often ask me how I ended up in finance. The truth is, it wasn't the original plan. As a young man, I was on track to become a professional soccer player. I had the talent, the drive, and the opportunity. Then, an injury changed everything.

What I didn't realize at the time was that the years I spent training at an elite level had given me something far more valuable than a career in sports. They had given me a mindset — a framework for approaching challenges that would prove invaluable in the world of high-stakes finance.

The Athlete's Edge in Finance

There are striking parallels between elite athletics and financial leadership. Both require an unwavering commitment to preparation. In soccer, you don't win matches on game day; you win them in the hundreds of hours of training that came before. In finance, you don't close a billion-dollar deal in the meeting room; you close it through the months of rigorous analysis, relationship-building, and strategic planning that preceded it.

Both also demand the ability to perform under pressure. When you're managing a $100M+ P&L and the numbers aren't tracking, the ability to stay calm, think clearly, and make decisive adjustments is everything. That's a skill I honed on the soccer pitch, where split-second decisions can determine the outcome of a match.

Discipline as a Competitive Advantage

Perhaps the most important lesson from my athletic career is the power of discipline. In a world where many people are looking for shortcuts, the willingness to put in the work — day after day, year after year — is a genuine competitive advantage. Whether it's reviewing financial models at midnight or flying across the world to meet a potential investor face-to-face, I bring the same relentless work ethic that was forged on the training ground.

A Different Kind of Team Sport

Finance, like soccer, is ultimately a team sport. No one succeeds alone. The ability to build, motivate, and lead a team is critical. Throughout my career, from the studio lots of Hollywood to the construction sites of Bali, I've always prioritized building strong, trust-based teams. Because at the end of the day, it's the people around you who make the impossible possible.