In the first of a new weekly series, Rosie Allsopp profiles some of the big names in local finance – starting with Steve Le Page of PricewaterhouseCoopers THERE are not many grass-roots Guernseymen who have reached the very top in the finance sector, but Steve Le Page is one of them.

He is partner in charge at PricewaterhouseCoopers and is so local he even has the exclusion paragraph in his passport which denies him the automatic right to live in the EU.

‘It’s not something I naturally go on about, but when I think about it, it makes me feel a certain amount of pride,’ he said.

‘But I’m not inclined towards the ﾓGuernsey for Guernsey peopleﾔ brigade, either. Because I have spent half my life working for an international organisation, I think more internationally.

‘In particular, I think about what Guernsey might be like if we didn’t have a finance sector and the resulting influx of foreigners.

‘It is impossible to know for sure, but I think the best description of what Guernsey would be like is a small Cornish town with the disadvantage

that it is really expensive to get to.’

As partner in charge, Mr Le Page has responsibility for 200 staff across Guernsey and Jersey but it would not be unfair to call him a late starter in his profession.

He dropped out of university and admits that at that time he had no career aspirations.

He worked at Universal Packaging, which was in Bulwer Avenue, making plastic bags until 1980, when he met the woman who would become his wife.

‘When I met Michele, I decided it was time to start taking life a bit seriously. I decided to apply for two jobs a day until I got one. I wanted to try and get a job that would give me an intellectual rather than a physical challenge.

‘I had worked on building sites in the holidays and Universal Packaging was more physical as well. Without really thinking about the finance industry as a good place to work, I went for finance-related jobs. That’s where Michele was working, which probably influenced me.’

He began working at accountants Coopers & Lybrand in the 80s in what he described as a role at the bottom of the totem pole but steadily worked his way to the top of the company, which has evolved into PwC.

Starting a job in finance in the 80s, when the industry was booming, it soon became clear he had joined at the right time.

‘When I first joined, I didn’t have much idea about what was going on but I could tell from the activity there was a lot of work being gained and a lot of work to be done.’

Late in 1980, he persuaded Coopers & Lybrand to support him through a foundation course in accountancy at Plymouth Polytechnic.

When he returned in 1981 he signed a contract and married Michele in the space of a few months.

‘I passed my exams first time and decided to do the Institute of Tax exams as well.’

By 1985 he was a fully-qualified chartered accountant and tax advisor and was working as an audit supervisor.

Though he hoped very much to climb the ladder, Mr Le Page had no firm expectations that he would succeed.

He believes his determined nature and a sense of self-awareness helped.

‘I knew it was time to knuckle down and do some work and I was honest enough with myself to recognise that. People tell me I’m a good strategic thinker as well, so maybe I was looking at the long term rather than the short term when I qualified.’

By the mid-80s the industry boom was peaking, but finding decent staff to recruit was even harder than it is now.

‘I realised that locally-qualified people were as rare as

rocking-horse droppings and I could have taken all sorts of jobs and knew that moving away wouldn’t have got me there.

‘There were rapidly-expanding businesses that were desperate to get qualified staff and if they could get someone who

didn’t need a licence, it was even better.

‘I remember one MD of a local company offering me a job at a dinner, which wouldn’t have been so bad but my boss was sat next to me at the time.’

Mr Le Page became a partner at PwC in 1994 and five years later he was made partner in charge of the Guernsey office and of the company’s audit business across the Channel Islands last year.

While he says he is very happy in his job, he is not a man to stand still.

‘I have thought about moving away from Guernsey in the past and for various reasons haven’t done it.

‘I have still got some work to do and a contribution to make locally, but my son will be going to university in two years so it might be an appropriate time to do a tour of duty somewhere else.’

For now, he enjoys his job.

‘I like the challenge and I still enjoy audit work. In recent years auditing and accounting has changed so much, with international standards and increased regulation. There has been plenty to keep me interested.

‘My role as a business leader is something I really enjoy. It brings me new problems to solve and brings me into contact with people.’

Passing on the benefit of his experience is another plus.

‘I really enjoy helping people to develop. Some people who work here are maybe brighter than me and may know more about particular subjects, but somehow you get to develop and coach them and it’s really rewarding.’

Mr Le Page is an avid cricket fan. There is a photograph of him with David Gower when he visited the island, together with at least half-a-dozen autographed bats in his office. He admits that he would save the bat signed by Gower if his office went up in flames.

‘I got it a few years ago when he came over for a testimonial for Jack Birkenshaw, who was at Leicester when David was there. PwC sponsored the dinner and it was part of a business six-a-side.

‘Cricket is something I do in my spare time and I’m in the PwC team. It’s mostly just for fun, but we have one serious game a year against our Jersey office.’

Another passion is skiing and Mr Le Page is doing as much as he can.

‘I reach my half-century this year, probably the only half-century I will ever reach, so I need to get as much skiing in as I can before my knees pack in.’