AI Magazine Issue 3 2018

24 Acquisition International - Issue 3 2018 Leading from the front, Chirag acts as he would want his staff to follow. It is his drive and determination which many staff would look up to, and importantly he is always desperate to improve in every aspect of his work, something he is keen to mention. “In general, it is the drive behind my determination to make quick and confident decisions, and my readiness to change direction if something is not on track to deliver the outcome I would anticipated. I am results driven, and when I do not see this, I am constantly pushing myself and my team to ask why. What could we be doing better? It is only by asking the difficult questions that we will stay ahead of the competition.” Having demonstrated what attributes he possesses which he believes have made him a successful CEO of Nucleus, Chirag shares some advice which he would give to someone looking to make a success similar to his own, and he is quick to praise his team as being a major factor in his achievements. “Honestly, the clear answer for me is to surround yourself with a brilliant team. I learnt early in my career that people are the most valuable asset of any business. This means I’ve had to become more patient over the last six years – it’s not unusual for me to spend years waiting for the right person to join the team, rather than hiring someone that doesn’t have another option. Once you have these people, everything hinges on nurturing and scaling the culture Innovation is the Centre of Nucleus’ Success “...it is the drive behind my determination to make quick and confident decisions, and my readiness to change direction if something is not on track to deliver the outcome I would anticipated.” to ensure that you are bringing the team along on with your vision. “Remember, you can only rise up within a business if your position is filled beneath you. Empower your team to want your role, and to be striving to fill your shoes. When someone is fulfilling your role, it’s time to move up.” Regarding the future of Nucleus, Chirag is excited about the times ahead, as the team look to capitalise on their future growth plans. With a strong and dedicated team behind him, Chirag believes the innovative and creative firm will catapult itself to the top of the industry, “Moving forward, I am enormously excited about the future and could not be prouder of the team and what we achieved in 2017. It was a year of fantastic growth, and we finished the year having lent over £700m to UK SMEs to date, and we more than doubled the size of our team. We are now at more than 100 staff internationally. “It was also a fantastic year for innovation, and we launched our Education Finance product which is expertly designed to fund apprenticeships, smooth cash flow and ease the burden of staged funding. We upgraded our technology platform, allowing us to fund deals faster, and enhanced our asset based lending, increasing its maximum offering to £50m in July, whilst simultaneously lowering pricing for loan products, cash flow and property finance. “Ultimately, all of this provides a strong platform for further success in 2018. We are all very much looking forward to the year ahead, continuing to provide funding solutions in line with small business’s needs.”