“Some people stumble into their careers. I knew exactly what I wanted.”
From a young age, finance was always the plan and a big part of that was watching my dad, who spent his entire working life at Barclays. At 15, he was called into the headmaster’s office at his North Yorkshire grammar school and simply told he had a job at Barclays Bank and off he went. He became the classic bank manager of the 1960s, the kind people had to book appointments with just to ask, very politely, if they might be allowed to borrow some money. I grew up on those stories, and by the time I was old enough to think about a career, the answer was already pretty obvious.
I started my career in financial services as an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) in 2000, before moving companies to become a specialist financial consultant to medical professionals. I spent ten years in that role before joining Mattioli Woods in 2014 and I’ve never once regretted following in those footsteps.
My primary focus is providing holistic financial planning advice to clients across the North East, Yorkshire and the central belt of Scotland, and I’m a regular face in our Glasgow and Edinburgh offices. My clients’ needs tend to be sophisticated, covering retirement planning using self-invested personal pensions (SIPP) and small self-administered schemes (SSAS) structures, tax-efficient investments where asset allocation is paramount, and estate planning. My particular interests lie in protection, pensions and wealth management.
I’m a Northerner and that means you will always know exactly where you stand. No waffle or ambiguity. If I say something will get done, it will get done. If I think you’re about to make a terrible financial decision, I’ll tell you, kindly but clearly. The goal is simple: five years down the line, my clients should be wealthier, less stressed, and actually achieving the things they set out to achieve.
When it comes to building better financial habits, my advice is simple: routine. Write down your income, write down your expenses, and if there’s anything left over, save it every single month without fail. Treat it like a bill, not a choice. Do that consistently and the habit builds itself.
Outside the office, I keep fit through circuit training and road cycling and I’m a proud Middlesbrough FC supporter. I also love to travel, weekend breaks, trips to Dubai, eating out and the odd gin.
