DERMOT GARVEY is partner and head of Corporate Finance at accountants Chadwick.
This was a recent day in his working life.
5.15am: My alarm clock goes off and I quickly turn it off so as not to wake up my wife. I do some exercises to loosen up my back then jump in the shower and get ready.
5.45am: I head to work from our home in Rochdale. It only takes 40 minutes to get to Rumford Street car park and then a two-minute walk to our office on Water Street. I split my time three or four days a week in Liverpool and the balance in Manchester. Today I’m in Liverpool so I get onto the M61 quickly to avoid the rush hour.
6.30am: Philpotts and Starbucks are closed, but I tend to grab a sandwich or coffee mid-morning.
6.45am: Check my email and voicemail messages. I’ve just come back from a business trip in Venice, where we’re negotiating the final terms on a disposal for a multinational company, so there are a number of emails to deal with and a host of messages from my secretary. I also spend time making some phone calls to India.
8am: First meeting of the day with the corporate finance team, where we discuss ongoing projects and get a general update. It also gives me a chance to catch up on anything I’ve missed during my time in Italy.
10am: I head back to my desk to prepare for a meeting I have to- morrow with a ground engineer- ing company in the East Midlands which is going through an MBO.
11am: Next meeting is with one of the tax managers who is joining our team as a specialist in transactional tax. It really shows how we’ve expanded the corporate finance team over the past few years, we’re now attracting specialists from other areas of the firm who want to work in the department.
Noon: I head to the Thistle Hotel for a Pro Liverpool lunch. I try to attend as many of these events as I can. Following the lunch I meet with Neil Ashbridge, of Profes- sional Liverpool, to discuss the AIM market and ideas on how we can push AIM flotations in Liverpool.
2pm: I meet some US clients who have flown in from Seattle. They’re in Liverpool on business so I offer to show them around the Tate gallery, which is one of my favourite places. Afterwards, we enjoy a coffee outside at the Ha Ha Bar.
4pm: I take a trip over to Liverpool Digital, on Edge Lane, to visit a company. We’re having preliminary discussions about fundraising and floating on the market and, following on from my discussions with Neil Ashbridge, it’s great to make some progress in this area.
6.30pm: I check through any other e-mails or messages that have come in and deal with them appropriately before heading to the car to make my way home. I put the music on loud tonight and listen to the Arctic Monkeys and Led Zeppelin.
7.30pm: I arrive home and as it is school holidays I go for a run, about five miles, with my 12-year-old son, and then go for a quick game of tennis with my daugh- ters. I find that exercise really helps me to relax after a busy day at the office. Unusually, no client phone calls received tonight.
9pm: Enjoy dinner with my wife, son and two daughters. My wife is Italian and a fantastic cook, and tonight she’s prepared home-made pizza using rocket and tomatoes from the garden.
9.45pm: I coach an Under-13s rugby club and we’re already preparing for the new season and in particular organising our Easter 2008 tour – watch out Anglesey. So I sort out some admin for the new season and email a draft newsletter to the team admin manager.
10.30pm: Sit down. I manage to catch the news before heading off to bed at about 11.30pm, ready for another early start in the morning.
