“I’m never the smartest person in the room, but I’ll always be one of the hardest working and that will take you far in any life.”
So said Philip F. Anderson, a consultant in financial services with KPMG in Manhattan.
When, as sometimes happens, he’s asked to give more specific advice about how to navigate the business world in New York, two things top his list. First, he tells people, never underestimate the importance of networking.
Anderson, who grew up on a farm near Newtownards, Co. Down, said, “Relationships are incredibly important. They could be your first job, your next opportunity, a new client, or just a friendly face in a crowded room.
“In my experience people are always willing to give you their time and advice, particularly when you are young and starting out,” said the University of Ulster graduate, “I had the pleasure of meeting with the CEO of a couple of companies, [due to] being young, enthusiastic and leveraging the Irish connection.”
The second piece of advice he summarized this way: “Do something you enjoy, or at least like, and everything else will come more naturally. Too often people chase money or status, doing something they don’t enjoy and end up being miserable.
“For me, I found that digital transformation work is something I enjoy and it had good opportunities for growth and I stuck with that,” he said.
For a time, Anderson’s plan was to take over the family business in Bangor, Co. Down. “My dad ran a local gas station and fuel-delivery business,” he said.
First, though, he would get an education. As part of his business studies degree at UU, he spent a year-long internship with Citibank in Dublin.
“I enjoyed the change of pace, living in a city and working with other talented people,” he recalled.
“After that, I wasn’t ready to settle down into the family business just yet. I applied to the inaugural year of the USNI mentorship program and was one of 20 people offered a position to come to the U.S. and work with AXA Equitable.
“It was a one-year program, so I had always planned to go home. But then life in New York sort of took over. I moved to KPMG to stay another year, and then it was a snowball effect.”
Anderson believes that New Yorkers admire people who’ve been willing to move from another continent. “They see an openness to other cultures, to what’s happening in the world, willing to be independent, to put yourself out there, push yourself,” he said. “People value that, they respect that.”
He views his own immigration to the U.S. as a career highlight.
“It was a pretty significant move to somewhere I had never been as an adult and knew nobody,” Anderson said. “I sort of sofa-hopped for the first few weeks, staying with a relative of someone my sister knew, then on the sofa of a barman that person knew, and then finally into an apartment with some other people from Northern Ireland who were out on their first year in New York.
“I’ve had a great career with KPMG, almost 13 years so far,” said Anderson, who is soon to be married. “I’m very proud of everything that I’ve accomplished and incredibly grateful for all the people that have helped me get to where I am today.”
Anderson lives in Hoboken with his fiancée, Sarah, a New Jersey native.
He has a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. workday, and 30-minute, door-to-door commute — by ferry in the mornings and PATH train in the evenings. He added, “Some days you’re meeting people, you’re having conversations. It’s not head down in a spreadsheet all the time.”
And, of course, it’s New York with all of its excitement. “It’s extremely fast paced and full of incredibly talented and smart people,” he said, “which is something I underestimated when I first moved here.
“Things move fast in New York – the entire city moves fast – the people, business, life, it can be a blur but you’ve got to move with it or you’ll get left behind.”
As for relaxation, Anderson is a long-time enthusiast of motor sports. But he’s acquired other passions in this country. “Traveling and food are two things that keep us occupied in our spare time,” he said. “New York provides endless possibilities to eat and drink and they’re great ways to experience different cultures from your own backyard – or to kick up inspiration for our next trip.
“We love trying out new bars and restaurants, the city has an incredible atmosphere and a clashing of cultures that provide an incredible food scene with endless options.”
He added, “I get back home at least once a year to see my family [his two sisters and a brother all live within 15 minutes of his parents] and then try to squeeze in a couple of other trips either in the U.S. or further afield. We managed to get over to southeast Asia — Singapore, Bali, Thailand — last year and it was an incredible experience.
“One thing I love seeing when I’m back home is how much the food scene has evolved. Belfast has progressed a lot over the past 10-15 years,” Anderson said.
Belfast has long been a focus for him, as someone who grew up 30 minutes outside of it. He hung out there as a teenager and went drinking there as a young adult. “Now, it’s usually a meeting point to have dinner with friends when I’m home,” he said, “or where you’ll find me a few days before Christmas doing all of my last-minute shopping.”
Anderson’s father sold the business and his son is pleased that he’s enjoying his retirement after a career that involved a seven-day work week.
“There wasn’t pressure to take over the family business,” he said, “but there was inherent pressure from Mum, you know, an Irish family, to come back and be with them. But they’re always happy to see me pursue my career and be successful.”
Now, the family is readying to gather for a special event later this month — his and Sarah’s wedding.
Anderson said, “The ceremony and reception itself is just outside Belfast, but we chose Belfast as our central point for everyone to stay and will host a couple of events the day before and after the wedding in the city. I’m really looking forward to getting back and showing everyone what Belfast has to offer. Now I just need the weather to come through for me on the day and we’ll be set!”
Before all that, though, Anderson will be an honored guest at this year’s New York New Belfast Conference.
He first attended an NYNB event around 2011 and for several years after that was a guest of either Invest NI or Tourism Ireland; he dropped away for a while because of other commitments and the pandemic.
“But I couldn’t be more happy to be involved again to share our culture and support connectivity and commercial opportunities between the U.S. and Northern Ireland,” Anderson said.
