We’re shining the spotlight on Danny Meighan, Senior Lease Expense Manager and our resident sports fanatic, and quiz master!

With a degree in Coaching and Sports Development, Danny took a detour through the hospitality industry before finding his home at Assure in 2019.  He jokingly describes his job as “involves a lot of numbers and saving money“,  making the complex world of service charge and lease expense management sound almost simple!

When he’s not crunching numbers, Danny’s perfect weekend would be watching a Newcastle United win with his newborn daughter (his little good luck charm), hosting a BBQ with friends, and enjoying a good Sunday roast.  When it comes to dream dinner guests, Danny would love to chat striker tips with football legend Alan Shearer and share a night of tasks and laughs with comedian Alex Horne—now that’s a winning lineup!

Can you share more about your background and how it led you to Assure?  I have always been a big sports fan and I graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University back in 2011 in Coaching and Sport Development.  But ended up not using the degree and went into the hospitality industry running bars and pubs across Bedford.  Whilst I enjoyed the work, after 8 years of shift work and having to deal with drunk customers I wanted a complete career change and applied for a job Assure in 2019.

What attracted you to work at Assure?  It was an exciting new challenge in a sector I never knew anything about, so a real opportunity to test and expand my skills.  Assure, with it’s friendly, supportive, and progressive atmosphere, felt like the perfect fit.  It’s been an environment where I’ve thrived, thanks to the company’s ethos and culture.

How do you describe to family and friends what you do?  It’s a very niche sector, so I say that I work in commercial real estate, specifically reviewing companies’ lease expenses, mainly focused on service charges with a brief explanation on what service charges are.  When met with confusion, I explain that it involves a lot of numbers and saving money.  Delving deeper only seems to add to the confusion!

What would your perfect weekend look like?  Start the weekend by watching a Newcastle United win (a bizarre choice for someone down south to support one of the most northern clubs, but they were top of the league when I started following football in 1995/96) with my newborn daughter, she’s my good luck charm at the minute.  Followed by a BBQ in mild weather (as a ginger, it can’t be too sunny for risk of sunburn) with friends and a few drinks.  Nice lie in on the Sunday, very unlikely nowadays, and a visit to a fancy pub for a good roast with the family.

What’s one thing people don’t know about you that they will be surprised to find out?  I’m fascinated by the rise and fall of OJ Simpson, including how he changed sports sponsorship and celebrity status, his controversial acquittal for murder, and the ensuing fallout.

What new skill would you like to learn?  Being able to play either the guitar or drums.

And finally, If you could invite two famous people (past or present) to dinner, who would you choose?  Alan Shearer, to hear all the stories from his playing days and to pick up a few tips on becoming a better striker, no one better to learn from.  Alex Horne who would provide entertainment and laughs by setting tasks to complete during and between courses.

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