Spotlight on PenLife Director, Deb Jacobs

International Women’s Day falls on 8 March. And to celebrate, we asked one of our three female Directors, Deborah Jacobs, a few questions about her role at PenLife and a little bit about herself.

What would you be doing if you weren’t helping to run our business?

I’m not entirely sure, I’ve worked full time for 30 years and not really given it much thought.

I’m fairly sure it would involve my friends, family and dogs, the odd cocktail, a tasting menu, and if possible, a sunny destination. Throw a spa in there somewhere and I’d be in heaven!

What do you love about your job? 

That’s easy: the people, both colleagues and clients.

It’s an honour that people trust me with their financial plans and personal aspirations. There’s nothing more fulfilling than seeing someone’s life plan come together and knowing I’ve played a small part in it – this gives me real job satisfaction.

Generally, people stay with us for their lifetime, so you become close over time. You are alongside them through marriage, children, divorce, retirement, illness, and loss. It’s not something I take lightly; for people to put their trust in you at their happiest times and most vulnerable times, as I’ve already said, is an honour.

What do you think makes PenLife stand out?

Our people – we’re a team of 27, and as senior management, we’ve worked really hard to make sure they’re the right fit for PenLife.

Within the team, we have Chartered Financial Planners who started 10 years ago as Administrative Apprentices, so there’s very much a “family” feel about the office. We also put a real emphasis on client care, asking for annual feedback from clients and trying to make sure everyone feels like an individual.

Our biggest source of new business is referrals from existing clients which we’re really proud of. Obviously, we don’t always get it right, but we hope that we correct things in the right manner and learn from our mistakes.