Robert Agnew’s natural reservation lends itself well to his work: he’s developed a top client base at Barclays Private Bank, where he has worked for 10 years. He modestly describes it as ‘acting as the conductor of the orchestra’, coordinating… Read More

Simon Allister’s year started with a client looking to dispose of a significant holding in the company he founded to form a charitable entity that could help a cause he was passionate about. Sure enough, with Allister’s expert help, the… Read More

Former JP Morgan investment banker Marco Assetto delivers highly sophisticated investment advice and wealth planning services to an elite clientele. His goal, he has told Spear’s, is to ‘help my clients protect the wealth they have created while generating the… Read More

‘Business has been very good in the last year, characterised by good investment performance and additional families choosing to join us,’ says Ian Barnard – in the no-nonsense, authoritative manner that existing clients will be both familiar with, and fond… Read More

‘Deliberately different’ is how James Barton describes the approach that the small but highly experienced team at Featherstone takes. Barton positions himself in opposition to the prevailing winds of the industry. ‘We are all escapees from large banks,’ he tells… Read More

Jonathan Bell is droll about the life of a wealth manager. ‘The moments I remember most vividly are some of the investments when I lost money,’ the CIO says. His ability to delve beneath the jargon is certainly refreshing. Bell… Read More

Spear’s catches up with Sarasin’s Jamie Black after he’s experienced a challenging 12 months in the investment world. The predictions on US interest rates have been particularly hard to follow, he says, observing that: ‘Most economists were predicting three or… Read More

‘How much time do we have?’ asks Jim Bouley when asked about this year’s challenges. ‘The difficulties are politically more driven.’ Not one to dwell on the negative, the former Merrill Lynch man says markets have been excellent this quarter,… Read More

For Roddy Boulton, the job of a private banker is more about ‘the ability to collaborate and partner with clients’ than it is about a ‘certain amount of performance over another bank over the course of a limited period of… Read More

‘We’re really pleased with recent progress and potential, particularly in the current market environment,’ says Richard Brass, Berenberg’s head of UK wealth and asset management. Brass has presided over a well-oiled machine since joining the German bank in 2011. Its… Read More

‘Clients are getting lost in wealth management firms that continue to grow larger, consolidate and become more remote from the clients they were set up to serve,’ Featherstone Partners’ Suzy Brinkmann tells Spear’s. At Featherstone, she says, wealth management is… Read More

John Butters of Weatherbys is certainly a wealth manager to know. After an expansive career, ranging from teaching in China to hedge funds via the civil service and a Westminster think tank, he joined Weatherbys Private Bank as chief investment… Read More

Martin Cass’s star is swiftly rising in the private banking world, as point person for Barclays’ engagement with the tech start-up community in Europe. As a director, Cass’s role is to help UHNW’s and their families preserve and grow their… Read More

Ben Chance was promoted to partner only two years after his move from Credit Suisse to LGT Vestra’s Private Office. The new role makes him a stakeholder alongside the UHNW clients he looks after – which is a position of… Read More

Kleinwort Hambros is the result of an ambitious merger, and is using that momentum to push for a bigger wealth management offering. At the core of this sits CIO Mouhammed Choukeir, who says it’s the best time to drive forward… Read More

David Cobb, Smith & Williamson’s co-CEO, is always talking to clients: even more so when the markets are turbulent. ‘The outlook for the coming year is marked by a heightened sense of political and economic uncertainty,’ he says. ‘Our clients’… Read More

One of the most visible trends in Lucie Collaud’s landscape is the ‘global drive towards transparency in the private wealth space’. The wealth planner says this movement has challenged the way UHNWs navigate through ‘complex legislative requirements’ – which she… Read More

Giles Crowe’s clients – mostly highly successful entrepreneurs and their families – tend to make use of the full breadth of Citi’s platform, from ‘core discretionary portfolios to opportunistic trading strategies with our capital markets team in an advisory capacity’…. Read More

Swiss private bank Mirabaud has had a presence in the UK for over 25 years, but it underscored its belief in London as a financial hub in 2018 by opening a UK banking branch. Etienne d’Arenberg, its UK head of… Read More

Alice d’Esparbes’ experience lies in monitoring issues affecting res non-dom clients in the UK. She joined UBS’s Brussels branch in 2005 as an investment consultant for French entrepreneurs. Today, as director, she advises on financial planning, philanthropy and lending. Few… Read More

Dina de Angelo has both style and substance, having been featured in Vogue, and believes being female helps her finesse her role. ‘Women [have an] advantage in the natural grace they bring to business,’ as she recently told an industry… Read More

Harvard Business School graduate and financier Michel de Carvalho became chairman of CapGen in 2018; a development he described to Spear’s at the time as being ‘an invigorating and welcome new step in my career.’ He sits on the supervisory… Read More

‘We often work with entrepreneurs considering an exit or who may be dealing with a sudden succession issue or change of circumstance,’ says Charles Costa Duarte, whose excellent client skills were rewarded in 2018 when he was named Spear’s UHNW… Read More

The Zurich-based wealth manager has had a busy 12 months, settling into his new role as head of UHNW UK International since his move from UBS to Credit Suisse in 2018. Eastwood is well-respected in this field, as he possesses… Read More

Rusty Elvidge is a leading figure at Credit Suisse, having been in its London UHNW private banking arm since it was formed in 2010. This followed a 15-year stint on the bank’s investment banking side, where he was co-head of… Read More

Dominic Epton began his career at law firm Ashurst before joining Rothschild & Co’s  investment banking arm. By 2011 he had moved across to the wealth management side. A recent highlight was winning (over) a new client with a shared… Read More

When he first arrived at Barclays Private Bank from Credit Suisse nine years ago, Pedro Dias Ferreira was the only Spanish and Portuguese speaker on the team. Modestly ascribing his own success to ‘being in the right place at the… Read More

An investment expert with 20 years’ experience, Avignon Capital’s chief financial and operating officer Patrick Flaton enjoys a strong focus on strategy, ‘but with the power to execute this from an operational level’. Responsible for performance at the boutique real… Read More

Rémi Frank joined the BNP Paribas group in 1987 as a trader, later becoming head of Asia FX options in Paris, Singapore, and then Tokyo in its investment bank. In those roles, Frank created and developed the French giant’s capital… Read More

Helen Gammons has an infectious enthusiasm for her work: ‘I fell into something I understood – I think finance is a language and once you get it, it’s wonderful. I’m not the stereotypical banker. That helps me with the next… Read More

Jonathan Goodwin OBE founded Lepe Partners in 2011, before merging with Alvarium, where he is now partner and Head of Merchant Banking. Alvarium (formerly LJ Partnership) is an independent, global boutique offering tailored investment solutions for families, foundations, institutions and… Read More

With 18 years of investment management experience under his belt, Duncan Gordon is responsible for the management of a wide range of private client and charity portfolios at Sarasin & Partners. The majority of the firm’s clients are ‘looking for… Read More

Pictet Wealth Management’s Portugese-born investment adviser Tomas Gorgulho heads a team of four investment specialists in the UK – covering EMEA clients – with an aim of helping UHNWs ‘make the best out of their investment decisions from a risk-adjusted… Read More

‘Clients want insight,’ says Nick Green, who joined Coutts from JP Morgan in 2004, rising swiftly to become a senior adviser before joining the private office. Many clients come to him after selling a business: ‘These people go from something… Read More

It was a glittering 2018 for Aastha Gurbax, JP Morgan Private Bank’s senior managing director, who was appointed to the board of Cass Business School and shortlisted for a Women in Finance award. Gurbax has been busy developing the ‘entrepreneurs… Read More

Sparrows Capital founder and CEO Yariv Haim has more than 10 years experience in strategic investments, risk management and allocation of assets. Haim manages assets for family offices, wealthy individuals and selected institutions. ‘Our approach is simple and transparent, based… Read More

Having begun his career in New York and Hong Kong, Matthew Haimes came to London to focus on corporate banking at Deutsche Bank, later heading up Credit Suisse’s family office and institutional clients. Haimes is now global head of Safanad’s… Read More

‘Busy but challenging’ is how Alvarium’s investment advisory partner Charlie Hamilton describes the last year at the newly rebranded firm. ‘Equity markets saw volatility return with significant drawdowns in the final quarter of 2018, which meant being proactive in advising… Read More

Martin Heale says he’s enjoyed a ‘terrific’ year as his stateside brand continues to go from strength to strength: ‘Schroders has such a strong reputation. We are experiencing significant growth with US clients.’ This success story is down to staying… Read More

Since joining Coutts in 2009, Alan Higgins has held a number of roles including as head of multi-asset investing, head of investment strategy and now chief investment officer for the UK. The investment team works on discretionary and multi asset… Read More

‘With me you get the advantage of a big bank but with a small team who all look after the same client base,’ says HSBC’s Charlie Hoffman, who describes the firm’s acclaimed private banking services as ‘a little like a… Read More

‘Trust is won through hard work, endurance and great care,’ says Jack Holdstock, who manages private client relationships for Pictet Wealth Management throughout the UK & Ireland. He believes that the much-coveted position of a trusted adviser is a ‘privilege… Read More

Nick Hornby re-enters our UHNW top 10 after a glistening year that included collecting an Outstanding Achievement Award at the Spear’s Wealth Management Awards: ‘A reflection of 10 years’ hard work to build Cerno and get the business to where… Read More

Jeremy Hoyland is rightly pleased with the first class performance of his firm over the past year. Aggregate revenues broke through the £10 million mark, with a record 82 per cent of it being recurring, while AUM has grown to… Read More

‘One of the great aspects of this firm is its long-term perspective,’ Clement Hutton-Mills tells Spear’s. ‘While I am pleased with what we have achieved over the last 12 months in terms of developing existing and new client relationships, I… Read More

On a personal level, the proudest moment of Chris Ivey’s year was watching his son score a century for the school cricket team. Professionally, however, he warns some investors may soon find themselves negotiating a sticky wicket. ‘There is a… Read More

Alvarium is an independent global boutique pitching itself as a ‘dynamic investment ecosystem’. Lawson Johnston sits on the firm’s global operational board, merchant banking and direct investment divisions, overseeing group strategy. ‘Our international infrastructure provides local insights which, through one… Read More

‘Alpha generation is back,’ says Rehmet Kassim-Lakha, hailing the return of active wealth management as passive funds take a back seat in the era of ‘normalised’ volatility. The MD and head of UK banking at JP Morgan Private Bank is… Read More

Private banking was a ‘natural evolution’ for Paul Kearney, whose career includes stints in tax advisory and investment banking. He spots a common thread in all private client professions: ‘A combination of problem solving and dealing with people.’ Kleinwort Hambros’… Read More

‘I joined Smith & Williamson the day that Tony Blair became prime minister,’ Chris Kenny recalls. The firm has grown considerably since. ‘We managed less than £1 billion – today we manage over £20 billion. We had around 30 employees… Read More

A PPE graduate of Edinburgh University, Vermeer Partners’ Chairman Michael Kerr-Dineen began his career at The Bank of England’s economic intelligence department, beginning an unstoppable upward trajectory. A turning point came when he was asked to go to the Guinness… Read More

Since joining Vermeer Partners in January 2018 as Chief Investment Officer, Simon King has been busy getting to know the investment management team. ‘It’s an environment where they have a completely integrated role, as both client relationship manager and stock… Read More

‘We’re not trying to be all things to all people,’ Jeremy Knowland tells Spear’s, recalling that fateful day three years ago when Brexit became a reality. ‘We got across to our entire client base by 11.30 in the morning. That… Read More

One of the true gems in RBC’s London office, few bankers are as trusted and respected as Amit Kotha when it comes to dealing with the needs of Britain’s South-East Asian UHNW community. It’s a reputation that gives the bank… Read More

Cedric Lamielle is an associate partner in Alvarium’s esteemed investment advisory service. He’s pleased to report a ‘great year’ for the firm, which recently rebranded to Alvarium from LJ Partnership. ‘We have acquired a Paris-based multi-family office bringing our total… Read More

Kate Leppard began as a stockbroker at Quilter Goodison in 1987, before joining Schroders in 1990. Having spent virtually her entire career at Schroders (which bought Cazenove Capital in 2013), the head of client service for UK wealth management is… Read More

As the UK head of Russia, CIS & Eastern Europe at Pictet Wealth Management, Elena Lileeva is a trusted adviser to some of the wealthiest people in London. Russia is her biggest focus, but clients hail from countries across the… Read More

After a long career at Coutts, Perry Littleboy joined its Private Office in London in 2011. As MD, he works primarily with entrepreneurs and family business owners. His role is ‘to help articulate their vision and objectives for their family… Read More

The role of a wealth manager is to question clients’ thinking and give them honest, considered advice, says Duncan MacIntyre, a wealth manager of 25 years experience. ‘This is what being a trusted adviser means. To use an analogy, when… Read More

‘I am part of a team which invests for a small group of very successful individuals,’ says Greg Malone, head of wealth management at Signia Wealth. ‘Our clients are a mix of entrepreneurs, international family offices and the professional advisers… Read More

As head of financial planning at Featherstone, Alex May provides holistic advice on investment, retirement planning, inheritance tax mitigation, trusts and school fee planning. He has also undertaken stints at UBS and Close Brothers before joining Featherstone. ‘We bring our… Read More

‘Time is a precious commodity,’ says Darren McDermott – and particularly for UHNWs, who have spent an ‘eventful’ year on the markets preparing for a raft of possible scenarios. ‘A lot of our clients are business owners, and they’re busy,’… Read More

As much at home on the cricket pitch as he is in the boardroom, Robert McIntyre’s career is sailing as high as a loftily struck six. At Barclays since his early 30s, having studied at INSEAD, McIntyre has sought to… Read More

It’s been a stellar year for Alvarium partner and head of investment advisory, Carlos Mejia, who has seen his division continue its upward trajectory. ‘We have grown our AuM by over 30 per cent from year-end 2018 to $8 billion,… Read More

‘Over the years, we’ve found that private clients are no longer offered a personal service that respects their needs and wishes, and they don’t want to be tethered to large-scale financial institutions that seem a little faceless,’ says Simon Melling,… Read More

Lloyds Banks’ Paul Morales points to the past 12 months having been ‘an interesting year’. It’s the usual culprits of uncertainty and low interest rates that have kept things sluggish – but that means there’s opportunity if you’re wise to… Read More

James Morrell, is a managing director and client adviser at the family firm Rothschild & Co. What does he believe are the challenges the industry faces in the long-term? ‘Adapting to each generation’s requirements,’ he responds when asked. ‘There is… Read More

An entrepreneur and CEO with nearly 30 years’ worth of investment experience, Eric Mounier has very good reason to be happy. ‘This has been the best year yet for Avignon Capital,’ he says. ‘We have been able to achieve fantastic… Read More

‘When your confidence grows, keep in mind that past performance should never be seen as a guide to the future,’ says Eoghain Murphy, warning against a false sense of security a long bull market can provide investors with. ‘Market conditions… Read More

The financial crisis taught us that short-termism can be dangerous for investors. Few financial institutions can boast a longer horizon than Hoare’s, the UK’s oldest surviving independent bank. Charles Hoare Nairne is a member of the 11th generation of family… Read More

Jonathan Norbury started his career in the City with Kleinwort Benson working in the private clients team with the founding families. ‘We did not know the term in those days, but nowadays this would be described as a family office… Read More

As a partner at Stonehage Fleming, Scott Oliphant is responsible for a slew of its most important clients. The firm is proud to have one of the lowest client-to-manager ratios, complemented by fiduciary specialism and international expertise. ‘We are in… Read More

‘A steady number of clients are really attracted by our offering, especially our international element,’ says Michael Parsons, referring to the fact that Wren is backed by WE Family Offices in the US and MdF Family Partners, one of the… Read More

‘We aim to be absolutely pivotal to a small number of very material private clients.’ So says Giles Pascoe, the leader of one of Goldman Sachs’ largest private wealth teams in London – what he describes as a ‘boutique’ within… Read More

Nandu Patel is known for his charities work – making him very well placed at Rothschild & Co, which boasts around 80 charity clients. ‘Most of our charities are trying to achieve inflation plus three to four per cent per… Read More

One of the UK’s most respected and experienced wealth management professionals, Guy Paterson is a seasoned expert who has been navigating the financial markets for a full 30 years. ‘The key thing is to avoid shocks,’ he tells Spear’s. ‘In… Read More

Phil Patient is HFMC Wealth’s enthusiastic COO, with over 20 years’ experience in financial services – having previously led the Wealth Planning arms of both C. Hoare & Co. and Fleming Family & Partners (now Stonehage Fleming). Patient was attracted… Read More

James Penny joined Barclays Private Bank during its inception in 1992, where he counted among the first cohort of five bankers they hired to run its operations. He now heads up the international arm in London, advising clients all over… Read More

When not working as managing director of Rothschild & Co, James Peterson is a keen sportsman and acting chair of the Eastside Educational Trust. Off the field, he remains a top player in Rothschild & Co’s £8 billion AuM UK… Read More

An executive director at the world’s largest ‘pure play’ private bank, Christopher Pinsent has an important role working with some of the wealthiest families in Europe. Pinsent, who specialises in working with clients with a UK connection, is excited about… Read More

Despite being just two years of age and having almost no brand name recognition, Saranac Partners is in rude health, with its AuM soaring past £1.6 billion last year. ‘When we opened our doors to clients in 2017 we focused… Read More

‘Resilience… and lots of it!’ replies Kartikeya Rai, when asked how to survive and thrive in the world of private banking in Africa. Rai covers the West African market for Barclays Private Bank, acting for entrepreneurs who have created their… Read More

Daniel Revell, a director at Barclays Private Bank, has been at the firm since 2004, and has grown a high performing team of seven professionals covering UHNW and family offices across the Middle East. Barclays Private Bank’s MENA (Middle East… Read More

Khaled Said is managing partner at Capital Generation Partners, a highly refined business with deep knowledge of the needs of UHNWs. ‘Most of the thought leadership we do is client-driven,’ he explains – and it’s an ability to understand the… Read More

A violin rendition by one of LGT’s own young soloists is heard when Spear’s phones – a tune that would sound relaxing even amidst the most distressing market conditions. When Scott speaks, you hear an equally enchanting Fermanagh-lilt, which announces:… Read More

The Hottinger family has been shaping the financial services world since the 18th century. Today, Hottinger Group continues this legacy. ‘We had a very active start to 2019,’ Tim Sharp, head of Hottinger Group’s investment management arm, tells Spear’s, describing… Read More

Smith & Williamson partner Patrick Smiley has managed investments on behalf of charities, trusts and private individuals for more than 30 years, and still retains some of the clients he started out with. ‘We don’t chop and change clients,’ he… Read More

‘We are very proud of the type of clients who choose to work with us,’ says Carnegie Smyth. ‘They are UHNWs, often incredibly successful entrepreneurs, and we learn a great deal from them.’ Smyth, CEO of Signia Wealth and formerly… Read More

The talented adviser Sophie Spencer had a rather unconventional start to her career. ‘I was a chef!’ she tells Spear’s, ‘before taking on a couple of more corporate roles and then joining Sarasin’. Her hire in 2012 was to promote… Read More

Coutts’ MD and head of wealth investor management, private office and international, Camilla Stowell, has shepherded her department to another solid year. ‘We had a great 2018, tripling our RoE over three years through strong net new business flows for… Read More

The current climate presents significant challenges today for wealth creators. Stonehage Fleming’s emphasis is firmly on succession planning – a niche service which could only exist on the back of the nous of such trusted advisers as Mark Sullivan. A… Read More

Independently owned London & Capital’s private investment office isn’t interested in building its client list at the expense of its service. That’s the view of its head, Iain Tait, who became a partner in 2008 and guided the department to… Read More

The majority of Katharine Taylor’s clients are entrepreneurs – many of them in sports, media and entertainment. ‘They are looking for someone to protect the wealth they have worked so hard to build, and are not trying to create another… Read More

Matthew Taylor has a long history with Cazenove, having worked at the firm from 1993 to 2006, when he joined Fleming Family & Partners (now Stonehage Fleming). In 2017, he re-joined Cazenove as a senior portfolio director. Throughout his career,… Read More

An impressive record in the private client space and expertise across wealth structuring and investments made Theophanis Theophanous an undoubted catch for Barclays Private Bank when he was recruited to the organisation back in 2011. ‘Having a background in wealth… Read More

It’s been a good year for Capital Generation Partners, says Charlotte Thorne, one of the firm’s three cofounders. ‘We have already taken on some fantastic new clients and we are very excited about the work we will be doing for… Read More

Jenny is an Australian-born investment manager who’s found a home in LGT Vestra’s strong collegiate environment, which nurtures empathy among staff – a crucial trait in this specialised advisory sphere. ‘It’s a people business; in a partnership structure we’re aligned… Read More

London-based Tiffany Troxel ranks in the top one per cent of global advisers at the Swiss private bank Julius Baer. Something of a prodigy, and already blessed by an impressive history at Harvard, Goldman Sachs and UBS, Troxel says that… Read More

Responsible stewardship, as a concept, is certainly gaining ground, as Tom Vernon is among the many specialised wealth managers within the industry who have reported a spike in interest in environmental, social and governance factors throughout 2019. But at Sarasin,… Read More

Helen Watson is CEO of Rothschild & Co’s wealth management business, which provides discretionary investment management services to wealthy families and charities. ‘As one of the few families to have successfully preserved their wealth over many generations, the Rothschild family… Read More

‘At Weatherbys Private Bank, every client is treated like a member of its extended family, which has guided the business through seven generations of prudent stewardship since 1770,’ says CEO Roger Weatherby. Catering to UHNWs and HNWs, the firm has… Read More

As executive director of Private Wealth Management, James Weaver is responsible for finding, advising, managing and looking after the wealth of clients ‘through all the complexities that life brings’. His team continues to grow, and has expanded by three individuals… Read More

Despite describing 2019 as a ‘rollercoaster’ year, Nataša Williams reveals that financial markets challenges have actually boosted the Private Office AuM by over £200 million, with the highly trusted adviser now managing assets just shy of £1 billion. The team… Read More