Niccolo Polli, Chief of Staff to the CEO, HSBC, CHA 1994
Niccolo Polli
La Châtaigneraie, 1994
Chief of Staff to the CEO, HSBC
United Kingdom
Find more about me:
- Home | Benga Riverside International School, information about the school I built in Mozambique
- HSBC ESG Square | Thought Leadership | Luxembourg: website I created as the CEO HSBC Luxembourg to disseminate information on climate change and sustainability
- Niccolo Polli (HSBC) : Weighing the Impact of AI, a speech I gave on AI
Ecolint was one of the first schools to offer the IB programme, which helped get me into the University of my choice: Stanford. When I landed in California, I felt well prepared for the challenges I was presented with. I saw a few other students struggle with the level and speed of the courses, but I was already used to this from high school.
I am Italian/English and live just outside London. I am married and we have three children: a boy aged 14 and two girls aged 12 and 11. We have 3 cats and 1 dog, a mini-dachshund. I work in Finance and commute or travel Monday to Thursday. Friday is work from home - a huge bonus for me! I spend the weekends shuttling my kids from one event to another: football, parties, stage-coach, gymnastics... In my free time, I try to stay fit, read up on world events and have some 'us' time with my wife and friends. Never a dull moment!
There are too many memories of Ecolint to choose from! I remember our field trips well (to emotional places like Auschwitz) and also touring with the Basketball and Rugby teams and playing matches abroad. I especially enjoyed playing Rugby against TASIS, they were strong competitors. What I love about Rugby is that we are fierce rivals on the pitch, not giving an inch, but the minute the whistle blows, we congratulate the opposition and exchange banter about the match. I loved these moments with friends old and new.
Ecolint was one of the first schools to offer the IB programme, which helped get me into the University of my choice: Stanford. When I landed in California, I felt well prepared for the challenges I was presented with. I saw a few other students struggle with the level and speed of the courses, but I was already used to this from high school. Indeed, the IB allowed me to gain enough University credits to complete 2 full quarters ahead of time and allowed me to lighten my load and explore the places around me. All my children attend the IB programme (PYP, MYP and IB) and I even started an IB school in Mozambique.
All my children attend the IB programme (PYP, MYP and IB) and I even started an IB school in Mozambique.
I would not do much differently, frankly. Perhaps I would be more adventurous and curious about the broader world around me. I would try and travel more with friends at a younger age and set myself extra-curricular challenges to achieve. I started travelling a ton in Asia, Africa and South America in my late 20's and early 30's and feel it really opened my eyes to how nuanced and diverse the world really is. And now in my 40s' I find setting micro-challenges a really good way of accomplishing things I would otherwise just keep pushing down the To Do list.
My words of wisdom to students: the same I would pass on to my younger self. Teenage years can be challenging. Don’t be too tough on yourself, and spend time trying to understand who you are and what you love. Many people will evaluate you and categorise you, since that is how we process information. Take all that in, but don't let it define you or limit you. Be honest with yourself and get to know what really makes you tick, what your passions are and then follow them. They will lead to success!
My legacy: I realised from the passing of my father that our legacy is not measured by the profits we make or the goods we acquire, but by the lives we touch. In the end, it is the people that will remember you and pass on your story, your values, your legacy. So I invest time in raising decent, moral, wonderful children, and spending time with family and loved ones.