David Cowdell, director, Fidelity International
Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career?
My interest in finance came alive when I worked in the City to help fund my degree. At the time, much of the administration was paper based and was done by a temporary workforce so I was able to pick up fairly well-paid work. It was a great insight into finance at an exciting time: for the first time in the history of the country, share ownership was reaching a wider audience as privatisations raised the profile of the City. I liked the fast pace of an industry that was constantly reacting to everyday events. This experience gave me a thirst for working in the City and I found that my work experience counted for a lot after I graduated.
