Name: Rod Waldie

Organisation: Gateley

Role: CEO

Location: Manchester

Trained at: Weightman Rutherfords

Year qualified: 1994

Read his Hot 100 profile

What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee?

There are many (and I couldn’t possibly mention some of these here)!  It was a very happy two-year period.

Back then, Weightman Rutherfords (now Weightmans) only had one office (in Liverpool). Everyone knew everyone and the gap between partners and staff felt small. The partners were very accessible and hands-on. Most of what I learnt was by osmosis. If I had to pick one memory it would be of being dispatched to court in London while in one of my litigation seats.  We were acting for the Defendant (the Police) against a claim of wrongful arrest brought by a litigant-in-person.  The appointment was an interim hearing before a Master.

The Plaintiff had agreed to an Order by consent and my job was simply to obtain that.  However, absent any representation in Court, the Plaintiff had a change of heart and we moved into something akin to an unrehearsed mini-hearing, surrounded by others waiting to be heard by the Master. The old adage “be prepared or prepare to fail” applied here.  Luckily, I was familiar with the claim and managed to obtain an Order as originally hoped-for plus costs. I returned to a hero’s welcome from the other articled clerks, which lasted for a least a day!

What is the thing in your professional career that has terrified you or taken you out of your comfort zone the most?

I was a partner in Halliwells and had been a board member for a matter of months at the point of its administration in 2010.  It would be wrong of me to deny that this was a very challenging period and certainly took me out of my comfort zone in co-dealing with the situation. On reflection, I learnt a lot about myself and the very talented people around me, many of whom joined Gateley and remain great colleagues.  It taught me that if you dig deep you can triumph in adversity.

What is the wisest thing anyone ever said to you (and who said it)?

It was relatively recently and it wasn’t said to me but in a forum of three, of which I was one.  The wise advise was given by a senior partner in our pensions team to one of his colleagues who had recently been promoted and was politely agitating “for more”. The expression used was “don’t play the long game short”.  These words often echo in my mind. The person in question was always destined for partnership and is now a pillar in our pensions team and the wider business.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get to where you are/do the job you do?

My starting point was (and remains), work hard and be nice to people. Confident but humble. These are basic but really important characteristics in attaining a leadership role in professional services. The work hard element includes being willing to sacrifice some things to build the career that you want.

Alongside this, during my journey, I have always tried to find value in feedback or criticism no matter who it has come from or how it has been delivered.  There is no substitute for a positive attitude and playing to your strengths.  Focus on the things that you are best at and become an expert in those. Delegating your weaknesses to others who are strong in those areas is at the heart of team work and critical to you and those around you reaching full potential.

What’s your best friend from law school doing now?

She is a District Judge in Manchester, having been in private practice at DLA and then in-house at HMRC. We kept in touch periodically post law school but more frequently now that, completely coincidentally, we live in the same village in Cheshire.