Republished from Outright #54
The off-season presents a conundrum for many of our cricketers, allowing contemplation of potential paths beyond the sport. This scenario unfolded for Luke Georgeson, who holds a finance and economics degree from Victoria University. Reflecting on this at the end of last summer, Georgeson recounted, “Initially I was looking for a job in Wellington and nothing really came, I was sending a lot of cold emails to whoever was willing to read one and Sanj Silva (former NZCPA National PDM) from Money Empire picked one up. We had a zoom call and he said there could be an opportunity up in Auckland.”
Eager to seize the chance, Georgeson set about relocating from Wellington to Auckland. That proactive move proved fortuitous as when he met up with Sanj, it resulted in a short-term gig with Money Empire through until the start of the new season. “It probably couldn't have gone any better for a guy that's only available for four months of the year," described the 24-year-old. "To come up north and to get that sort of experience has been awesome and I'm very, very grateful to Sanj and Kayne and the Money Empire team for taking me on."
Georgeson embraced the role of Client Services, facilitating discussions between clients and advisors at Money Empire. “I'm not a qualified financial advisor so I can't give people financial advice, he explains, but I can certainly help the process out. A lot of the stuff I've been doing has been around mortgages, they (Sanj and Kayne) have been super supportive and really put an emphasis on trying to give me as much exposure as I can to everything in the business.”
Silva, now Head of Growth and Strategic Relations at Money Empire, expressed immense satisfaction with their temporary recruit. Impressed by Georgeson's initial interview and his positive attitude, Silva crafted the Client Services position to suit him. “Luke came across really well. He communicates and articulates his thoughts well, that’s the people we want in our company and in the finance industry. Luke is incredibly analytical, he’s a 24-year-old with a mature old head on him. With the right people, this is the value we see in working with the NZCPA, and to support their PD Programme.”
Georgeson staunchly supports NZCPA's impactful work it does for players. “I'm a massive advocate for the work that the NZCPA do, I genuinely believe it's an incredibly important part of playing cricket in New Zealand, because I'm seeing it directly at the moment. Obviously, there will be a select few guys who don't have to worry as much about life after cricket, but the majority of guys will have successful domestic careers And then will face the reality of finding work in a new career. To have that support, to make sure that when you are ready to step away from the game, that you know what you're doing, I just think it's incredibly important.”
As the upcoming season looms, Georgeson is looking forward to a move south to join the Otago Volts. “I haven't spent much time in Dunedin so I'm pretty excited about getting down there and having a look around. I just want to settle into Otago and immerse myself in the squad. I'd love to become a fixture in the side across all three formats and start contributing toward winning games of cricket and I think as a result titles, and things like that come.”
While Georgeson's future remains full of opportunity, he aims to make the most of his cricket with Otago in the short term and continue to learn and develop with a dream of international honours in the future. However, the former NZ U19 representative acknowledges “that might be a little unrealistic at this stage.”
As for the corporate life, despite enjoying his time at Money Empire he conceded that an office-based role might not necessarily align with his long-term career aspirations. He will continue to explore various avenues of how he can continue to develop his skills from his economics and finance qualifications as he continues to prepare for success post-cricket.
“I don't know if offices are for me necessarily, but which is sort of ironic given I've signed up for an economics and finance degree. I just want to get out there and learn as much as I can and start narrowing down towards what I want to do.”
Whichever path Georgeson ultimately pursues, he can rely on the support from the NZCPA to guide him throughthe intricate challenges of a professional cricket career and beyond.