A genuine interest in people – and what they want to achieve.
My route into financial services was unplanned. I left school intending to go to university, but a work experience placement at the Prudential led to a job offer – and I took it. That single decision shaped the next 35 years of my career.
I began in sales support, but it quickly became clear that I wanted to be the person directly helping clients, not simply supporting those who were. I have always had a genuine curiosity about people: what they want to achieve, what matters to them, and what stands in their way. That curiosity drove me from adviser to first-line leadership, and ultimately into running large financial planning businesses end to end.
Over the course of my career, I have held senior roles at some of the UK’s most recognised financial institutions – Prudential, Halifax, Bank of Scotland Investment Services, Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest/Royal Bank of Scotland. In 2015, I became Managing Director of Premier Financial Planning Services, where I led a transformation centred on a single principle: the client at the heart of everything. I also served as a board director of NatWest Collective Investment Funds Limited, where I held responsibility for the oversight of the Coutts Investment fund range.
I joined Mattioli Woods as a non-executive director in June 2025 because the business reflects the values I have spent my career trying to embed – genuine client-centricity, a strong ethical foundation, and a clear commitment to the long term. My focus is on strengthening governance, providing constructive challenge to strategy, and ensuring that every client receives an exceptional outcome.
One commitment has remained constant throughout my career: addressing the financial education and advice gap in the UK. Too many people lack the knowledge and guidance they need – whether building wealth, planning for retirement, supporting family, or navigating the unexpected. That mission remains as important to me today as it has ever been.
Outside of work, I live in the New Forest with my husband Rick. I keep horses, including my late mother’s New Forest pony – a tradition that stretches back to my grandfather, who served in the mounted branch of the police force. I am just as likely to be kayaking from Keyhaven to Lymington of a morning as I am to be at a desk. That balance keeps me grounded.
I returned from retirement because experience should not retire alongside the person who holds it. I would rather put mine to work.
