“Good financial advice isn’t just about numbers – it’s about being the trusted friend who tells you the truth.”
When I was 21 and in my final year at university, my dad died suddenly. He was 53. My mum, who hadn’t worked while raising our family, had to go back into employment and she didn’t stop until she was 77. That moment changed how I think about everything I do.
It showed me how quickly life can shift, and how much difference the right financial foundations make when it does. That’s what brought me into financial planning, and it’s what keeps me here.
I joined Cullen Wealth in 2009 and have been with the business – now part of Mattioli Woods – for 17 years. Before that, I worked with medical professionals in Birmingham, which gave me an early appreciation for how personal and high-stakes financial decisions can be, I studied a general business degree at university and came into the industry through a structured training programme, when the sector looked very different to how it does today.
What I’ve learned over nearly two decades is that the best advice isn’t always the most complicated. Clients don’t need to understand every layer of tax legislation, cash-flow modelling, or pension regulation – that’s my job. What they need is to trust that someone is genuinely working in their corner. I take that responsibility seriously. I describe myself as a critical friend: someone who’ll tell you when your finances are in good shape, but equally someone who’ll tell you clearly when they’re not, and what we’re going to do about it.
I work across wealth management, Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning, pension strategy, and investment solutions and I tailor my approach to each individual. No two clients are the same, and no two conversations should be either. I’ve learned to listen not just to what people say, but to how they say it and what they leave unsaid. That’s often where the most important things are.
Motivation has never been a challenge for me. When a client tells me that our work together has genuinely transformed how they live – that they’ve retired when they wanted to, or that they finally feel confident about the future – that’s what drives me back on a Monday morning. I genuinely believe that good financial planning is transformative, not just financially but personally.
Outside of work, I’m married with two children. I’m a rugby union fan, a lover of live jazz, and someone who still finds time for a beer on a Friday night. My faith is central to how I live and how I work – it shapes my values and the way I show up for my clients.
My dad didn’t get to see 54. I help people make sure the life they’re building and the people they’d leave behind are protected, planned for, and properly looked after. That’s not just what I do, it’s why I do it.
