Nicola Ellis: A 2003 graduate in Economics from Glasgow University, Ellis worked in several temporary administrative posts with investment management companies Aegon Asset Management and Scott-Moncrieff Wealth Management.
This “whetted her appetite” for a career in financial services. She joined Sinclair Wood Asset Management (SWAM) as a full-time administrator/para-planner in 2005, started studying professional exams, and once she obtained level-four qualifications, was registered as a full-time consultant (RI). She continues to work in that position and is heavily involved in the re-organisation of the company’s investment strategy/proposition, the implementation of its risk-rated model portfolios, and is also working to ensure that SWAM will be RDR-ready by the due date.
Russell Provan: After ten years in engineering Provan began his financial services career in 2005, as a trainee stockbroker and financial adviser with USA giant Edward Jones. After passing the relevant qualifications as set out by the FSA, he opened his own office in Uddingston with Edward Jones in 2006. He built his business up from scratch by knocking on doors in the local community, and announcing the opening of a financial advisers’ office on their doorstep should they reuqire assistance in his area. He continued to build this business with Edward Jones until he relocated back to the USA in 2009. He moved to another company in 2010 for a year before becoming a founding partner of KPW Investments along with two ex-Edward Jones colleagues in January 2011. All three partners are Diploma qualified in readiness for the RDR changes
Graeme Robertson: One of the very first advisers in Scotland to become a Chartered Financial Planner (there are still only 200 Chartered Financial Planners in Scotland) Robertson is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute. He also holds specialist investment and pension qualifications. He joined AWD Chase de Vere in 2007 as a pension specialist providing technical advice and guidance to clients in Scotland and the North of England and is an IFA in their Glasgow office. He advises employers, typically with 20 to 400 employees, and private clients on a range of personal financial and corporate planning and is focused on ensuring his clients and their employees are fully prepared for auto-enrolment. With 30 years’ IFA experience, he was Group Pensions IFA of the Year runner-up at the Financial Adviser Awards 2012.
Stewart Siegel: Joining Standard Life immediately after school in 1983, Siegal spent eight years in its Final Salary Pensions Administration department. Building on this experience, he became an independent financial adviser. Prior to joining Principal & Prosper in early 2009, he worked for a number of well-respected national independent financial advisory firms, including, most recently, the Edinburgh office of Punter Southall Financial Management (as principal), Aon Consulting, Clydesdale Bank Insurance Brokers and Antony Gibbs. A Chartered Financial Planner since 2008, he hopes to achieve Fellowship status with the PFS in the near future. When he joined Principal & Prosper in Edinburgh three years ago, he combined forces with long-time friend and ex-colleague Chris Purves, and is now the firm’s director and joint owner.
David Thomson: A graduate of Strathclyde Business School, Thomson’s intial career in Clydesdale Bank saw him become runner-up Young Banker of the Year, before focussing on investment analysis and private client wealth management. At The Aitchison & Colegrave Group he established a multiple award-winning unit trust portfolio, and now, as VWM Wealth’s chief investment officer, he enjoys more than 30 years’ experience in financial services. A former finalist and winner of The Scotsman IFA of the Year competition, Thomson regularly contributes to BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland. A Chartered Banker and Fellow of the Securities Institute, Thomson’s focus on wealth management resulted in him winning Moneywise Fund Manager of the Year. He enjoys a reputation as one of the UK’s leading investment managers.
IFA of the Year: The sponsors
Aberdeen Asset Managers is a pure asset management company which only manages assets for third parties. The firm now manages £184.7 billion of assets from its offices around the world.
Cofunds brings together all clients’ investments in one place, providing one administrator to handle all the paperwork and one site for viewing all clients’ investments at the click of a mouse.
Cornelian Asset Managers is an investment specialist, so does not offer financial planning advice or taxation services, but works on behalf of clients in conjunction with their legal, accounting and financial planning advisers.
Johnston Carmichael
Financial Services is a firm of fully independent financial advisers, based in 11 strategic locations around Scotland. It specialises in providing a range of high-quality financial services to both private and corporate clients.
Kames Capital manages fixed-income, equity, property and multi-asset investments for individual and institutional investors. Its success has been recognised by numerous awards. It focuses on assets and markets where it has experience and expertise.
Founded in 1881, Martin Currie manages active-equity portfolios for a global client base. Its approach to investing is refreshingly simple: it focuses on companies.
Schroders manages £187.3 billion on behalf of institutional and retail investors, financial institutions and high net-worth clients from around the world, invested in a broad range of asset classes.
Skandia Investment Group is committed to delivering world-class investment products, designed to meet specific needs. It is one of the pioneers of the multi-manager investment approach.