Jonathan Church is a veteran of the British footwear business, and was recently elected as the master cordwainer by the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers. He tells us why he swapped banking for brogues in this week’s Square Mile and Me

CV

• Name: Jonathan Church
• Job title: Joint managing director, Joseph Cheaney
• Previous roles: Finance director, Church &Co plc.
• Age: 63
• Born: Oxford
• Lives: Warwickshire
• Studied: Queens and McGill University Canada
• Favourite pair of shoes? Cheaney Asburton brogue
• Motto: Cash is King
• Biggest perk of the job: Being part of a business that creates something tangible
• Coffee order: Flat white
• Cocktail order: Manhattan
• Favourite book: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

What was your first job?

Working in a chicken factory in the school holidays. It taught me absolutely nothing but I recall being so excited to receive my pay in cash, rather like Tom Hanks in Big. Oh and I did help a chicken escape.

What was your first role in the City?

I worked briefly for Citibank in The Strand, followed by two years at Sumitomo Finance, a Japanese investment bank working in swaps in the late 1980s. I thought we were masters of our universe but realised later that our dealings were all to do with having a triple A credit rating and very little to do with our selling skills. I loved the people I was working alongside but had limited interest........

© City A.M.