Currently...

I have now set up a charity to offer individuals or groups the opportunity to change their own life while helping others.

On a day to day basis, from our Parsons Green office, I could be trying to source replacement Land Rovers after a herd of elephant overturned ours, securing National approval for a new Expedition Leader training program or meeting with a company that wants to send a team to assist a humanitarian disaster.

This is all a long way from my old trading desk at Chase, where countries were just FX codes!

Before I escaped...

For over 12 years I worked in the City, then Mayfair, primarily in investment banking at what was Chase Manhattan, and then a boutique operation in Mayfair.

The key aim was annual performance targets. Each year you started fresh and each year there was a new face replacing an old friend!

My moment of truth...

The moment of truth was when by a strange series of fate, I ended up on an analyst visit to Kampala. The four weeks I spent in East Africa made me realise there was more out there than just the Square Mile. I set up the charity Greenforce in my spare time, usually coming in very early to photocopy and raid the stationary. I ran Greenforce side by side with my investment work.

When I finally sold my investment company I could take over Trekforce that Bruce Parry (BBC TV The Tribe) had been leading expeditions for. We created Gapforce to offer companies the chance to see where their charitable giving actually goes to. So they can support the growth of one unique community. The companies can actually go to see where their fundraising money goes.

We enable companies and individuals to go out and make a difference while having an adventure of their lifetime.

Planning for it...

There was no planning. From banking to overseas adventure, I had to create my own set of rules!

The worst and best bits...

Best:

The Maasai London Marathon. We worked with a village with 3 out of every 5 children dead by the age of 5 due to drought. We bought six Maasai Warriors over to run the Flora London Marathon.

Their fundraising run enabled us to build a solar powered 50,000 litre damn. The first time fresh water flowed from that tap made any doubts about this “job” evaporate.

The worst thing?

Probably should have escaped the city earlier.

Best advice...

Get a good accountant from day one - everything we have done in Africa or South America or Fiji has gone over budget!

Useful resources and information...

Friends and contacts. Living in London, it is amazing what and who you can source by asking "Does anyone know someone who wants to.....:

• help teach survival skills in Wales
• or drive a Land Rover to Africa
• or come and check out ski programs in the Alps
• or......