Celebrating International Women’s Day with Sam Hart, Associate Partner of Claritas

International Women’s Day is a Global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. At Claritas, we want to raise awareness against bias and take action for equality.

Name, job title, and how many years have you been in Claritas?

My name is Sam Hart, and I am the Associate Partner and Head of Private Client Tax/Head of Sales and Marketing here at Claritas. I have been within the firm for 18months now.

Tell us a little bit more about your role?

I lead up the Private Client team here at Claritas, as I am all about all things people! People are at the heart of business and that’s why I enjoy what I do. I also lead the Sales and Marketing function which means I spend a lot of time telling everyone about how good Claritas are, because we are that good!

Describe your career progression and what has supported you to progress to this position?

I think everyone’s journey is different and you have to play to your strengths. I like technical detail and have always been supported to do professional qualifications, but I also like talking to people so it’s great to find a role where I can do both!

What barriers have you personally faced in your career when progressing into a leadership positions and what advice would you give to others to overcome these?

I think being a single parent you do need to have a good support network around you, but it’s also important to be a good example for my children. I worked part time until both of my children were settled in secondary school and while this may have meant I climbed the ladder more slowly; it just means I have all the experience I need to take on the senior leadership role. I also tried lots of different things in my career, which has just given me a wide range of skills to draw upon.

In your opinion, what makes a good leader?

A good leader is someone who is there with you – no leader can achieve things without a good team, so it is about developing and supporting that team.

How do you balance work and life responsibilities?

With difficulty! In reality, being able to work more flexibly is crucial, and Claritas were ahead of the curve in terms of remote working and Zoom set-up such that the change owing to lockdown was a breeze!