A Day in the life of Faryaal Aziz

My morning begins with the sound of my dutiful alarm and a view of the River Nene from my humble abode. I head to the kitchen countertop and make a strong brewed coffee – an absolute necessity! As I sip away, the fog clears, and I catch up on the day’s headlines. I start to layer up for my rather cold walk to the office. My brisk stroll past the University and enthusiastic morning students, leaves me with a sense of nostalgia for good old campus days.

Shortly after arriving at the office, I scan my to-do list from the day before, including the snagging list which can get unruly at times. I check my calendar for the week, read my inbox, and jot down daily tasks in order of priority. Starter pack for a new joiner invariably includes some IT training and lots of note taking. After a helpful IT session, I catch-up with colleagues on matters that I’m on and get started on updating or drafting equity documents. Lunch comes around and I deliberate food options which usually boils down to comfort food or a high-protein leafy salad – the former mostly wins. I’m keen to get my steps in so I walk in Beckets Park and admire the nature around me.

Back at my desk, I review a high-level paper for a proposed company de-merger and start to roll out the ancillaries in accordance with the steps paper. Once completed, I update the documents list and move on to the next work stream. On another matter, I peruse a set of articles of association and draft new classes of shares and the rights attaching to them. I need another coffee.

There is a client call in my diary and the main topic of discussion is good leaver and bad leaver provisions. During the meeting, I make notes and create a summary plan of action. I diarise important dates in relation to the transaction and update the status of my tasks.

I try to make some time for business development. I update my LinkedIn page and do some research on angel investing, the various rounds of funding and attractive tax regimes in relation to angel investing. This is for an upcoming event pitched at wealthy individuals and companies looking for some extra funding.

Just a few admin bits to do before I record my time for the day and clean my desk, leaving only my festive pumpkin spice coffee syrup. I feel energised for my game of squash in the evening and look forward to trying out a new spicy paneer recipe in my air fryer!