Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates, takes us through his career in Square Mile and Me

CV

• Name: Russ Shaw CBE
• Job title: Founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates
• Previous roles: C-Suite roles at Skype, O2, Telefónica, Mobileway, American Express
• Age: 62
• Born: New York
• Lives: Shepherd’s Bush
• Studied: BSc – Washington University in St. Louis; MBA – Harvard Business School
• Talents: For others to judge!
• Motto: Strive for the ‘win-win’
• Biggest perk of the job? I meet the best people in the world who are passionate about helping startups
• Coffee order: None (I don’t drink coffee)
• Cocktail order: I don’t really drink, but the occasional glass of champagne to celebrate always goes down well
• Favourite book: I know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou

What was your first job?

I spent my last two years of high school cleaning homes and offices after school. It taught me the immediate value of hard graft and meticulous attention to detail, skills that never left me in my career.

What was your first role in tech?

My first major role where finance met technology was leading the launch of the UK’s first online sharedealing platform with Charles Schwab in 1999. A........

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