‘If you’re not a team player, you really can’t be part of the solution’

By Tony Sanchez 17th September 2021

In our latest Five Minute Interview, Tony Sanchez speaks to Sebastian Caballero, business development manager at Fiduciam.

Sebastian holds a B.Sc in Mechanical Engineering and a M.Sc in Industrial Engineering and Management.

After finishing his studies in Sweden in June last year Sebastian moved to the UK in July and joined Fiduciam as a case manager in September 2020.

In parallel with his studies, he worked part time as a student analyst at a high street bank in Stockholm. Upon graduation, moving into a full-time role in finance was a natural next step.

Since joining Fiduciam he has gradually started covering Spanish clients and is also actively involved in advancing Fiduciam´s entry into the Scandinavian market.

What is the best thing about being in the bridging finance business?

I really enjoy the relationship building aspect of the bridging finance business. It is a fast-paced business where you work very closely with clients within tight deadlines.

This naturally enables you to develop personal relationships with both brokers and borrowers.

What keeps you focused?

Working in a competitive environment where bespoke, flexible, and quick solutions are the norm pushes me to stay focused.

Building personal relationships means that our clients are much more inclined to work with us on a repeat basis, and hopefully recommend us to others.

I think the fact that many of our clients have been with us for years is testament to that.

What qualities do you look for in your employees or colleagues?

Someone who is curious, team oriented and hard working.

Curiosity, because it shows that you won’t just settle for what you are told, you want to know more, to be better.

Team oriented, it should be a given, but there’s a huge team of people that make what we do possible. If you’re not a team player, you really can’t be part of the solution.

Hard working, of course. This business is hard work and you do have to be prepared to work long hours, but it’s also rewarding, so hard work pays off.

These three qualities will get you far.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Optimist, with a big dash of pragmatism. There are many twists and turns in bridging so a pessimistic mindset would make you doubt yourself at every turn.

What did you want to be as a child?

A professional footballer, as do most kids who grow up playing football, I can imagine.

Scoring the finishing goal for Real Madrid against Barcelona in a packed out Bernabeu is a dream I am only able to fulfil on FIFA, unfortunately…

What will be the greatest challenge facing the bridging finance industry in the coming months?

With vaccination programmes well underway around the globe, we are finally nearing the end of the pandemic and a return to normalcy, which in itself will prove to be a challenge.

In Spain, and in the EU in general, the inflated prices of raw materials in recent months and its impact on construction costs pose a challenge for development financing.

Should this upward trend turn out to be long lasting, it could make seemingly attractive development projects become unviable.

Who or what makes you laugh?

Will Ferrell and John Reilly in the movie Step Brothers always crack me up.

Do you dread Monday mornings?

There’s little point in dreading Monday mornings, that would just ruin every Sunday. So, it’s best to approach each week with the same enthusiasm as the one before and make the most of Sundays!