BOAT INTERNATIONAL - How fintech firm Voly rose to success

by Nic Robinson – Boat international

Ian Flanagan isn’t your average businessman. Not just because of his tennis background, but due to the fact he is one of the most candid chief executive officers you’ll ever meet in charge of such a high-profile company.

His candidness does not come from a blunt and malicious ‘I’m the boss, so I say what I think’ place, rather he is straightforward and honest, having little time to waste on nonsense when it comes to business. In short, he is a straight-talking congenial man.

Perhaps this mindset derives from an early and overwhelmingly successful career in sport, since there are no blurred lines when it comes to tennis – you either win or lose. He does in fact credit much of his drive for success to the game, which he began playing as a schoolboy, travelling to 67 countries with it from age 11.

One of two brothers and born in north Wales, a surprise to many laughs Flanagan who does not have a Welsh accent, he says his childhood was amazing. He had a usual school life and began playing tennis at age four, before representing the country at eight. His supportive mum and dad drove him round the country “non-stop” in pursuit of his passion.

He turned pro after leaving school with 10 GCSEs and played in leading tennis tournaments across Europe, winning a gold medal in the Youth Olympics at around age 15. However, he contracted glandular fever at 17 which stopped him playing for a short while.

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Ian Flanagan, Stella Artois Championships - Action Images/Gareth Bumstead

To continue to read the full interview, click here: BOAT INTERNATIONAL - How fintech firm Voly rose to success