COFFEE BREAK with… Mark Page, Director-Medical
Coffee Break with… is a Christie & Co series showcasing the brilliance, expertise, and diversity of our network of over 200 employees.
When did you join Christie & Co?
July 2004.
Where were you when you accepted your role at Christie & Co?
In the old Ipswich office during my third interview, this time with Simon Hughes.
What was your first job?
Feeding pigs on a pig farm in Suffolk. Two hours of work early in the morning ensured I smelt of pig poo for the rest of the day!
In a couple of sentences, can you tell us a bit about your job at Christie & Co?
I work in our medical sector specialising in Pharmacy sales across the South East. Pretty much all our buyers and sellers are qualified pharmacists and I enjoy working within the pharmacy community.
What’s your favourite thing about Christie & Co?
It’s the people that are attracted to work at Christie & Co. Having held a number of other sales jobs, Christie & Co is a magnet for client focused professionals.
What's a favourite project that you’ve worked on at Christie & Co so far?
During my stint in retail, I helped out with the sale of over 100 Threshers in administration. The project was long hours and hard work but what impressed me most was the team of directors involved who rolled up their sleeves and burnt the midnight oil. I learnt a lot about how we deal with these huge instructions.
What’s been the biggest challenge of your career so far?
Settling back into a “proper job” after a period of travel. I spent most of my twenties donning a backpack, board-shorts, and a holey t-shirt, so each time I returned home to Suffolk it always took ages to cold-turkey myself out of the travel-mode.
What’s been a highlight of your career so far?
I’m pretty happy about where my career is at the moment, so I’d probably say right now.
How has the industry changed since you started at Christie & Co?
I still spend most of my office-time at the Ipswich Office and have been lucky to work with “lifers” Tim Gooding and Robert Melamphy. Whilst many small details of the industry have changed, the foundations of good sales remain the same.
Who in your industry do you feel most inspired by?
Pharmacists, generally. A good number of my clients have been working in their pharmacy for 30 plus years and are now looking after the grandchildren of their original customers.
Tell us a bit about your life outside work – what are your hobbies?
Probably my favourite hobby is taking money from Karl Hines and Sean Ludden at the poker table!
What’s your hometown? Where do you live now?
I was born in Liverpool in the seventies and we left when I was eight, so we lived there just about long enough for me to consider myself a bona fide scouser and a true Reds fan. Come on the Pool!
Where’s the best place you’ve been on holiday?
Just before I joined Christie & Co, my wife and I took a career break and travelled South East Asia for a few months. Our favourite country was Vietnam, which I can recommend for a holiday.
If you could live and work in any city, where would you go?
In my twenties I was lucky enough to work in Cape Town and Sydney. Next on the list is South America but I’ll always come back to beautiful, unspoilt Suffolk.
What would be your desert island meal?
Anything authentically Asian, probably Malaysian for all their fusion and herbs. It’s making me hungry just thinking about it.
What’s your favourite film?
Tough one. I love the eighties movies, Ferris Bueller and stuff like that, but the films that move me the most are usually true-life, success-over-adversity ones.
What is your favourite movie quote?
My favourite movie quote was also my late dad’s favourite in Jaws, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat”. Makes me smile just writing this.
What is one thing on your bucket list?
More travel. I’d like to don a backpack and start wandering again.
What is your biggest fear?
Losing a king flush to Sean Ludden’s ace flush again… I’d never hear the end of it.
What news source do you read every day?
Sorry to say, it’s Auntie Beeb.
What’s your social media platform of choice?
I don’t really have a personal one, so LinkedIn.
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