Marc Hale is one of the newest recruits at ClearPoint. He’s also recently arrived in New Zealand. He’s got masses of experience in the Financial Services sector in London and New York and had the pick of several jobs when he got here. We’re so glad he chose us. Welcome aboard Marc.
What do you do at ClearPoint?
I work closely with Phil Pietersen, the MD of ClearPoint in a newly forged role as a Client Services Manager. I focus on clients in the telco sector and the financial services sector including banking, insurance and funds management.
What’s your background Marc?
Most of my background is in Financial Services, primarily wholesale banking and electronic trading, in London and New York. Specifically, I’ve been involved in building fast, efficient technology solutions for trading platforms.
You’re a recent arrival in New Zealand. How long have you been here?
I arrived in New Zealand a few months ago from New York with my wife and children. I’m from the UK originally. My wife is a kiwi and our three daughters were born in New York. My wife was offered the role as General Manager of an ad agency in Auckland and we jumped at the chance of a new adventure.
Are you a technology man through and through?
Yes, I started life as a developer and I’ve grown into management and client facing roles. I graduated in 2000 with a programming degree in C++ and Java. The way the world looked back then was very different to now. There was hardly anyone who even had a dial-up connection. My friends and I used to spend our evenings in the university computer lab surfing what little there was on the web. Now, it seems our switch is permanently “on”. Devices are the new, continuous experience of connectivity, whether that is a smartphone, tablet or wearable device. Where it goes in the next ten years, who knows? If I could predict that, I’d be a rich man.
Why did you choose to work at ClearPoint?
I liked the value set I found at ClearPoint. When I started looking for a job in Auckland, I wanted to work for a company that focuses on clients and builds technology that makes people’s lives better. ClearPoint ticks those boxes for me.
Tell us something we don’t know…
Well, this is not my first time in New Zealand. When my wife and I first visited her family in 2000, I spent two months working as a scale double for Lord of the Rings in Wellington. I’m 6ft 10in, and they needed a couple of tall men to put some perspective into scenes with short hobbits. So when you see Elijah Woods as Frodo or one of the other hobbits and then you see a gigantic wizard looming up in the background, chances are that’s either me or another guy who is 7ft 1in.