“Finance found me by accident in 1988, and I’ve never looked back.”
I came into financial services by accident. I was at university in Glasgow, studying for an ordinary degree, when I missed a careers presentation while playing badminton. A professor handed me the details afterwards, I applied, and the rest, as they say, is history. My first position was in 1988 – the same year personal pensions were first introduced in the UK. That timing matters. It means I understand pension contracts that most advisers have only ever read about in textbooks, which gives clients with older arrangements real confidence when we’re working through their options together.
After over three decades across some of the UK’s biggest financial services firms, I joined what is now Mattioli Woods in 2003. Today, I work with high-net-worth clients in Aberdeen – many of them retired business owners navigating Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning, tax-efficient income in retirement, and multi-generational wealth. I’ve taken on some of their children as clients too, which tells you something about how these relationships are built.
What I’ve always tried to do is provide a translation service. The financial industry is full of jargon, and I can talk to product providers and fund managers in their language. But when I’m sitting across from a client, my job is to strip all of that away and explain what it actually means for them – simply, clearly, and in a way that builds genuine understanding over time. Not every concept lands in one meeting; sometimes it takes two, three, even four conversations to get there, and that’s fine. Patience is part of the process.
Some of the most important work I do happens at difficult moments. I’ve supported widows whose husbands handled all the finances – helping them, often alongside their children, to understand what they have, restructure things sensibly, and plan for the future. One client recently told me she couldn’t have managed without the support. You don’t forget moments like that. When clients start meetings with a hug, you know you’ve become more than just their adviser.
Outside of work, I’m deeply involved in bowls – both lawn and indoor – and I’ve always made a point of giving something back through committee roles. That same principle carries into how I work with clients: I’ll invest real time in understanding your situation, your goals, and what you need from a financial plan.
