Mike Fauconnier-Bank

About Me and Current Projects

I somewhat cheekily refer to myself as semi-retired in that I choose to work exclusively on projects that I find interesting and that I enjoy.

It’s a lifestyle choice, inspired by Tim Ferriss, that means I am lucky enough not to class what I do day-to-day as ‘work’, per se.

I wear many hats in my professional life and, amongst other things, I am involved in angel investing, entrepreneurship, interview and life coaching, blogging and property development.

In general, I seek to support enterprise in the UK, whether this be as:

• A mentor to small businesses
• Setting up and running my own ventures
• Personally investing in startups and small businesses
• Helping companies to access alternative sources of funding (e.g. as co-Chair of the European Crowdfunding Association)
• Supporting social enterprise

Prior to starting my new life of leisure, I spent close to five years in the City working in Mergers & Acquisitions for Citigroup, a bulge bracket investment bank which, at the time of my joining, was the largest financial institution in the world.

Before to embarking on my career in the City, I also spent time working at Deloitte and at IBM.

Perhaps counter-intuitively, until passing my FSA exams whilst working, I had no formal training in finance. In fact, I majored in Philosophy, Logic & Scientific Method at undergraduate level at the LSE.

At LSE, I was highly active within the student body, both within the Student Union and the Athletics Union. In recognition of my contribution to student life, in 2006 I was awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership of the LSE Student Union.

I am a keen skier and in 2013 qualified as a BASI Level 1 alpine ski instructor.