En Voyage - Issue #8

Business
FACES OF BUSINESS
SARAH WILLIS
Sarah Willis has worked at Intertrust in Guernsey since 2016
when she returned to the island, she was promoted to Director
last year and heads up the Regulatory Compliance Services
department. The Guernsey team is responsible for the roll out of
the service line across the wider Intertrust Group. She previously
worked for Grant Thornton UK and qualified as a chartered
accountant in the Business Risk Services team before moving to
help set up the Grant Thornton Governance Institute in 2013.
How do you start off your
working day?
With the Today programme on
Radio 4 and four or five hits of the
snooze button. I’m not a morning
person so I keep my routine as
simple as possible. I lay out my
clothes and write myself a to-do list
the night before so that I don’t have
to think too much when I get up.
How would you describe
your leadership style?
Adaptive. The professional
environment, our business and
the needs of my colleagues
are always changing so what
works today won’t be right for
tomorrow. This is especially true
working in the field of regulation
as we’re always looking ahead
to the next development.
Do you travel much in
your role?
Our head office is in Amsterdam
and I work closely with colleagues
in Jersey, so I visit both fairly
often. I’m angling for a trip
to some of Intertrust’s more
southerly offices next year;
Madrid or Dubai would be nice!
Where is your favourite
place in the world?
Aside from Guernsey? The Yorkshire
Dales – the countryside there is
breathtakingly beautiful. I worked
in Leeds for several years and spent
many happy weekends yomping
around the Dales. I recommend
Fountains Abbey for picnics, Lumb
Falls for outdoor swimming and the
Yorkshire Three Peaks walk to make
you feel that you’ve earned your pint.
What single achievement
are you most proud of?
Finishing the Coast to Coast
adventure race. I ran, cycled and
kayaked 105 miles across Scotland
in the pouring rain. It taught me
the power of determination.
And that I really hate cycling.
How would you
quantify success?
Knowing that I gave everything
that I had on the day. Some days
I have more to give than others,
but I like to know that I’ve brought
all that I can offer to the table.
As a child, what did you want
to be when you grew up?
What’s the best piece
of advice you were
ever given?
There’s no point expending
energy worrying about things
that you can’t change. Instead,
focus on the things that you can
do something about. My Dad has
boiled this down to a four-word
maxim, but it’s unprintable!
How do you maintain a
healthy work/life balance?
It sounds obvious but I try to focus
100% on whatever I’m doing in the
moment. For me, to be stressed is
to not be able to switch off. I try to
put work to one side when I leave
the office and concentrate on the
meal I’m cooking or the people
I’m with. Running is my ultimate
de-stressing activity; I focus on
my breathing and my footfalls and
come back feeling refreshed.
What is the last thing you
think about at the end
of the day?
Whether I’ve locked the front door!
I have to go downstairs and double
check before I can fall asleep.
A long-distance lorry driver. Since
then I’ve realised that sports cars are
a lot more fun to drive than HGVs.
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