Phoenix Group CEO Andy Briggs reflects on how his family values shaped his four-decade career, why purpose-driven leadership matters when making tough decisions and how staying true to yourself is key to building long-term success.
Andy Briggs has spentnearly fourdecades in financial services—culminating in his role as CEO of Phoenix Group, the U.K.’s largest long-term savings and retirement business.
“It’smuch easier to be yourself than be somethingyou’renot.You’rebetter at it, butalso,I think itworks well from a leadership perspective just to be authentic, normal, down to earth,” Briggs told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick on the “Executive Decisions” podcast.
While Briggs always knew he wanted to land in general management, hiscareer pathwasn’tlinear. After qualifying as an actuary, he embraced roles in sales and marketing to broaden his perspective. Along the way, he faced setbacks, includingmissing out onthe top job at Aviva, which reinforced his commitment to purpose-driven leadership.
“I’mabsolutely delighted this will be my last executive job herehereat Phoenix.It’sperfect for me,” Briggs said.
Today, Briggs champions a low-ego, inclusive culture at Phoenix Group, believing that collaboration beatssuperstars.
“We’re not a high-ego type company, and that goes right to the core of our values,” Briggs said.
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