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We are the Smart Currency Group, an award-winning, privately owned foreign exchange specialist. We help private individuals and businesses manage the risk of their currency exposure through tailored solutions and personalised customer service.Our Story | Our Values | Why Work for us | Excited to join us?
Our story
We were founded back in 2004 by entrepreneur Charles Purdy and, to this day, are still privately owned. We’ve always been based in Hammersmith, and have a strong commitment to our local area. Now, however, we’ve added three further offices in Spain and Portugal, and we have become one of, if not the UK’s largest privately owned, debt-free FX broker. Here are some of our key milestones so far:
You might think that after managing our clients’ foreign exchange risk on £10 billion worth of transactions, opening three new offices abroad and growing ‘Team Smart’ to almost 100 people, we’d be resting on our laurels, but we’re not. As our CEO, Charles, says, “The next ten years will only be more exciting than the last!”
“The next ten years will only be more exciting than the last!”
Charles Purdy, CEO
Meet the Team:
We are a team of friendly people, keen on keeping well and encouraging well being. In Aug 2019, our very own active cyclists; David and Dean, rode London Prudential for our Partner Charity, Solidarity Sports. Together with the Team’s help, they organised a Classic rounders game, and raised 140% of their target.
Our values
We place a huge importance on our values – they don’t just describe our company culture, but give us goals to aim our development towards. They are:
Customer service
Being fair, responsible and reliable to all internal and external customers
Owning your own development
Driving your own learning, constantly seeking to improve
Entrepreneurial spirit
Going above and beyond the role to push the business forward
Owning the conversation
Take a consultative, tailored approach to selling
Working as a team
We’re all working together towards one goal
Accountability
Taking ownership and working to fully deliver on goals
Why Work for us?
If you want a long-term career where you can set your own path and see your efforts rewarded, then you’re in the right place. Whether you’re coming in as a graduate in our Sales Academy, or as an experienced hire with specialist training, you’ll find that the more effort you put into your development, the more opportunities will open up for you.
Delighting our customers
We are ranked #1 on Trustpilot for ‘Money Transfer’, with over a thousand five-star reviews.
“It would be difficult to find a company which boasts a higher percentage of satisfied clients than Smart Currency Exchange”.
Money Transfer Companion
This is a direct result of the hard work of all of our staff who put our customers first in every interaction and understand that everyone is a representative of Smart. We are strong believers that ‘we are our people’ and constantly work to improve our customer experience.
An extremely impressive 80% of our Trustpilot reviews in the past year mention staff members by name – a glowing testimony to the service they provide.
Training and development
The skills and abilities of our people are our greatest resource and we invest an immense amount into everyone’s training and development.
We want you for the long term and provide extensive in-house development to help you make the most of the opportunities a career at Smart offers you.
Charles has been very firm since the beginning of the business that sales is a profession, and we treat it as such. We have developed our own Sales Academy to help you maximise your skills, with internal accreditation and a dedicated Group Sales Trainer, who has been with us for over ten years.
Entry-level/Graduate
We set a minimum number of hours of training as our commitment to your growth, but there is absolutely no maximum – that is for you to make the most of. As you reach your third month, you’ll be eligible for bespoke external training, specialist workshop training and additional sessions with your line manager, the Group Sales Trainer and director-level experts in the field.
Experienced hires
We are passionate about our leadership training, because we know unlocking the potential of leaders unlocks the potential of everyone around them. We offer continuous training throughout your service, including bespoke management training and supporting with MBA courses.
“Everyone wants you to do well and the energy is there to progress you forward.”
Testimonial
“Smart really lives up to the claim that you can build a career here.
Progression is really supported by the accreditation. From countless focused 1-to-1 training to group training sessions, training is the reason why I am in this role. You are consistently challenged and senior level Directors want you to succeed so they deliver training too, which is a refreshing experience.
After many conversations about my career, I got given the opportunity to develop further on the Smart Trading desk. I am really enjoying being on the trading team as its rewarding to see the impact I make on the business and I like that the role is client-facing. I also know that the doors are open for me if I wanted to pursue a different role.
What’s next for me? Not sure yet, but I want to make sure I am still learning every day.
For potential new joiners I would say: If you want to succeed here, you need to constantly want to improve yourself to get to the next level. If you need help, you’ll be supported, but be proactive about it.”
Jack Wiggs – Trader – Joined 2017 and reached Level 4 of internal Sales Accreditation
Life at Smart
Social
We’re a social bunch and we believe that getting together helps us all to work better as a team. Just some of the events you’ll find filling your calendar:
– Christmas and Summer parties: all staff treated to food, entertainment and a subsidised bar
– Spring and autumn nights out for each team to celebrate their achievements
– Company football and cricket league, open to all
– The Smart Book Club for the bookworms among us
‘Food for Thought’
Food for Thought is one of our staff initiatives that we’re most excited about. Every month, we take a group of staff made up of people from different teams to lunch and have an open discussion about their employment with us. It’s an opportunity for everyone to share.
honest feedback with both leadership and colleagues, with no names attached. It’s a great way to have a say in the development and growth of the company. For over a year now, we have hosted lunch in exchange for thoughts and ideas and subsequently implemented changes that matter. Previous actions out of this have included: office redevelopment, further work on inter-team communication, key changes to our property shows and many more.
“Nice to see efforts made to take employees feedback on board. Good selection of people representing different departments!”
“Enjoyable and relaxed, allowed me to get to know more people in the office. Everyone felt comfortable expressing their feelings in a good venue”
Benefits
We offer a comprehensive benefits package to all employees, including a medical cash plan, discount perks on shopping and retailers, free access to an IFA.
We’re proud of how long our staff stay with us, and offer generous long-service rewards to anyone who’s in it for the long-haul! We’ve already reached 7 team members who have been with the Group for over ten years.
Charity
Volunteering is a huge part of our culture, with a big uptake on our charity days, where you can use a workday to volunteer local to our head office with our chosen charity, Solidarity Sports. We’ve been partnered with Solidarity Sports for over three years, not only fundraising for them, but also raising awareness of the real difference they are trying to make to empower young people.
We’re strongly committed to supporting them any way we can, so we keep busy fundraising throughout the year, with our Christmas jumper days, charity bake-offs, bingo nights, sweepstakes and much more.
“I had the unique opportunity to spend time with a group of volunteers and children, who all had their own stories, backgrounds and experiences. I had the opportunity to look after a little 5-year-old boy, who had been through so much at home, yet managed to still wear the biggest smile while enjoying our day playing at the Princess Diana playground. Solidarity Sports has created something very special and selfless.”
Excited to join us?
If you’re excited by a long-term career with the Smart Group, then please enquire below. You can submit your interest and attach your CV to be considered for open positions, or you can submit a speculative application.
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