Blog Series NWBLT Career Insights with Malcolm Buchanan
Malcolm Buchanan, Managing Director, Commercial Mid Market & Board Chair, North Region, NatWest, and NWBLT Board member, shares his reflections on his career and the importance of networks, in the latest of our career insight blogs.
Tell us a little bit about your career and your current role? Has their been a pivotal moment in your career journey so far?
I left school a month before my 17th birthday and started working straight away with Clydesdale Bank in Glasgow as a branch junior. My career has taken me to London (2 postings), Edinburgh and Manchester (2 postings) and I’ve been leading teams in Corporate & Commercial Banking with NatWest for over 20 years. I think leaving Clydesdale Bank in 1998 to work for NatWest was a pivotal career moment and opened up a lot of opportunity that may not have been available to me in a smaller regional bank. My willingness to move around the UK (supported by a very understanding wife) has also opened up opportunities for me.
How does being a board member of an organisation like NWBLT support your personal development as a leader?
You never stop learning and one of the best ways to continually learn is to build networks and spend time with people who have different experiences and knowledge. Being a member of NWBLT and now a board member has given me access to a great network. Coming back to the North West 2 years ago after 12 away I have been able to benefit from this network and reintegrate much more quickly.
Do you think working in the North West is different to working elsewhere?
The North West has a diverse and vibrant economy and in my role I get to meet a wide range of business owners and entrepreneurs across all sectors throughout the region. I really enjoy that variety and combined with great quality of life outside work you get all the benefits of being close to big cities like Manchester and Liverpool with easy access to amazing countryside. For me the perfect balance.
What’s the greatest challenge that you have faced as a leader?
My first leadership role in 2003 was leading a specialist Real Estate Team in the North of England based in Manchester. I recall arriving on day 1 not really sure what I was supposed to be doing, it was a tough initial 12 months but I learned a few hard lessons through making mistakes that toughened me up. The financial crash of 2008 and going through Covid 19 were professionally difficult times that challenged me as a leader.
What does responsible business leadership mean to you?
In simple terms balancing different stakeholder perspectives when you make decisions, always endeavouring to do the right thing, thinking long term and always being ethical.
What advice would you give to those thinking about their first career steps?
The most valuable thing that I have learned the most from is the networks I have built over the years but I didn’t have the insight to get after network building in the early stages. If I had my time again I would have worked on that from the outset.