“Before you even go into a meeting, the CMI stamp says it all”

Paul Graham CMgr MCMI is having a busy week. He’s just started a new job as leadership and talent facilitator at the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), based between Birmingham and London. It’s a new job, and a new role at the FRC, which is an independent, arms-length government body responsible for regulating auditors, accountants and actuaries. 

In a way, the role is a blank sheet of paper, which sounds daunting, but for Paul it’s an exciting new challenge. It’s the culmination of a wide-ranging career that, so far, has taken him from life as an equestrian athlete to working in sports management, and now working in leadership and development. 

No mere horseplay

Growing up in the Midlands, Paul loved horses and riding and, in 2001, he embarked on a career as an equestrian athlete. He made it on to a scheme for budding young riders, but it got to a point where he didn’t feel like he was going to make the grade. 

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“I had to try very, very hard,” he admits, “but I perhaps wasn’t the most naturally talented. And, compared to some of my peers, I didn’t really have the necessary backing or support. I realised it wasn’t going to work out. But I wanted to stay within the sport, so I transitioned into a career in logistics and management, taking teams of horses and riders to competitions around the world, to championships and Olympic Games, and it went from there.” 

Paul worked at British Eventing for ten years, becoming a member of middle management, working with the CEO, athletes and teams in a role that focused on “promoting and delivering the essential back-office support needed to drive medal-winning performances, while also fostering talent pathways for young athletes aiming to compete internationally”. 

From there, he worked as sports operations manager at British Dressage, before moving on to become head of customer experience at the British Triathlon Federation. 

Just before Covid struck, Paul decided to branch out on his own and become a consultant, specialising in PR, relationship management and organisational transformation. His clients included his former employers at British Eventing and British Dressage, but he also worked with the Badminton Horse Trials, the Master Diving Center in Egypt and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. 

And then came the pivot – or half-pirouette, as they say in dressage. 

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“I had some executive coaching, which posed the questions: what is it you want to do? What do you enjoy? What are you interested in? What are you good at? The answer was developing people.”