Staff Profile - Andrew Kean

Every month, we plan to catch up with one of our FirstPoint USA staff members, and give you a little insight into what brought them to FirstPoint USA and what keeps them here! This months featured profile is Andrew Kean.  Andrew founded FirstPoint USA in 2001, with the backing of the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT), and is now Chief Executive of FirstPoint USA. Andrew Kean was a highly accomplished youth soccer player in Scotland in the mid-1990's, before heading out to the United states to play with the Bearcats at Cincinnati University.  In the process, he became the soccer program's first ever All-American, led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament in 1998, and was inducted into the James P Kelly, Snr, UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. Upon his return from the United States, Andrew had a dream to set up a program to help talented young athletes to realise their potential, and to have the same opportunities and experiences that he had himself in the U.S.  Andrew Kean is always reminding all of the staff here at FirstPoint USA how he is "the busiest person in the office".....and its a fair statement! Andrew can often be found burning the midnight oil in his office, even after a full day of work.  His dedication to the company is admirable, and the depth of his work ethic, at times seems unsustainable! However, he somehow manages to fit it all in, even with two young children at home. His passion and hard work for FirstPoint USA has certainly paid off and is evident from the numerous accolades and awards himself and the company have achieved, to (more importantly) how many (over 4000) happy and successful clients we have sent out on scholarships to the United States. We caught up with Andrew to find out more about his role at FirstPoint USA, and what he is all about: What did you do before FirstPoint USA? I was a soccer scholarship recipient at the University of Cincinnati, and founded FirstPoint USA on my return from America in 2001. What's your sporting background? All-American soccer player and Hall of Fame inductee at the University of Cincinnati; captained Scotland at U18 level. Check out this video of Andrew Kean, as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame! What does your job involve? It's a 24/7 role that covers all aspects of managing FirstPoint USA; both in terms of the service to our clients and coaches, as well as our strategic planning, financial management and business development. What might you do in a day? No two days are the same.  I spend the day handling the regular office-based issues and overseeing the various department objectives.  However, most of my actual 'work' is taken care of through the night.  Between the months of December and August, I typically start work at 6am and will finish at 3am the following morning. What are your ambitions? To be in a position where I can spend more time with my family and to provide my children with the same excellent opportunities (and more) that I was given. What's your claim to fame? Aside from being the first soccer player to be named as an All-American at Cincinnati, my claim to fame is being named a Finalist for the 'Scotsman of the Year' award alongside Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen (Head of NATO), Sir Jackie Stewart (Formula 1) and Sir Ian Wilmut (Cloning) et al.  I still don't know why I was ever considered. What do you do in your free time? As the father of two young children, I love spending time with them and my wife as much as possible.  All of my hobbies were put to one side as soon as I started FirstPoint USA, but I still get the chance to go and watch Glasgow Rangers when they are playing at home. 5 Interesting facts about Andrew Kean

• I am obsessed with things being tidy, clean and symmetrical.
• I hate the feeling of wool and the thought of wet wool makes me sick.
• I was not the first in my family to graduate from an American University.
• When I first returned from America and was trying to get FirstPoint USA up and running, i had a job cleaning buses.
• I first dated my wife when I was 13 years old (so was she!)

Testimonial from Head of Client Services, Nicole Montoya Andrew has this obsession with nutrition and is always informing us on the newest fad diet out there, though I'm not sure if he's stuck to any of them himself for longer than 2 weeks! I do, sometimes enjoy knowing about what I'm eating....thanks Andrew! haha Andrew must be one of the most approachable bosses out there! His door is always open for his employees as well as any clients, or potential clients strolling through the office for a tour.  His office is less than 10 yards from Client Services, so we talk to him on a regular basis.  If we have any issues, he is eager to know about them and help us with his advice and words of wisdom. Andrew is very good for pulling us into his office for a catch up to see where we are at with our work, to discuss any issues, or just to see how we are doing personally outside of work. Our conversations tend to turn towards our personal lives, personal experiences and family.  If it's about my plans for the future or a question about Americans, we always end up having a good laugh.  I love hearing about his family, and you can see how much his face brightens up whenever a story arises about them.  He is very much a family man, plain and simple.  I love when his family pops in to bless us with the pitter patter of their little feet.  We always end up with some new piece of artwork for the office! Starbucks......Starbucks......Starbucks, what can we say? The man loves his coffee! You will immediately do the famous Starbucks run for him when you are new to the office...we've all had to so it at one time or another! Thankfully its only a 5-10 minute walk away! I must close with the fact that Andrew is passionate and completely devoted to this company.  He works all sorts of crazy hours, and drives up and down this country for meetings.  With this sort of dedication coming from the top, it naturally makes it way through all of us employees which is why this company is great to work for!