What’s your role and when did you start at Citywide?

My role is Financial Planner, and I started at Citywide on 1 October 2024. I’m coming up to being here a month; the weeks are flying by!

Can you tell us a bit about your study and education background?

I wasn’t set on a specific industry or area of study once I completed my A levels at school and so went straight into working in retail. From there, I found my way into project management. In 2010, I got my first role at an Independent Financial Advisor firm – a local family firm where I worked as an Administrator, managing and administering group pension schemes. I soon found myself thoroughly enjoying and thriving within the role and within the first two years, I had progressed to team leader and ultimately to manager. Having worked closely with the firm’s financial advisers during this time, it culminated in a strong desire to study to become one myself.

I started studying in 2013 with the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) for their Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning. This comprised six modules covering regulations and ethics, tax, investments, pensions, protection and a final assessment which I completed in January 2017. During this period of study, I moved into a paraplanning role which involves providing technical advice without being client facing. It was then during 2018 that I moved into an advisory role, giving employee benefit-based advice and working with younger clients. In 2019, I moved into a fully comprehensive advisory role and have been advising ever since.

What were you doing before you joined Citywide?

I was a Financial Planner at another local firm in Surrey. I was there for eight years.

What does your role at Citywide entail?

In a nutshell, I help clients to achieve their personal and financial goals. I am starting to get to know my clients. Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll be focusing on building great relationships with clients and really getting to know and understand their personal and financial situations.

The more information we know about our clients, the more we can achieve the very best outcome for them. It will really help me to understand what is important for them and what they want to achieve so that I can advise them on the best ways to save and invest in the most tax efficient manner possible. This will help give clients the life they want now and in the future.

What do you think sets Citywide aside from others from your experience so far?

I think the biggest thing is the personal approach. It’s one of the things that appealed the most to me while interviewing for the role. Even little details like remembering and marking each client’s birthday; it really is the little touches that make the difference. Because there is such an emphasis on building personal relationships at Citywide, it means I can do my job far more successfully for our clients.

There are so many firms moving towards transactional models now which are far more target-based around fees, rather than being centred around what’s best for the client. The big attraction at Citywide is that clients really do come first. This approach is becoming rarer in recent years yet really aligns with my own morals and approach to financial planning. It’s why the role was a really great fit for me.

What are your career plans and aspirations for the future?

I am focused on achieving Chartered Financial Planner status. To achieve this, you need at least five years’ experience in the industry and to demonstrate a suitable level of knowledge and experience (which I already have). After completing my diploma, I have continued to study to broaden my knowledge and have two exams left to pass to gain Chartered status which I’ll be working towards over the next two to three years.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I have a seven-year-old daughter who keeps me on my toes, and I enjoy spending a lot of my time outside of work with friends and family. I am also a big sports fan and regularly play football and golf, as well as being avid watcher of live music (predominantly indie rock).

I am a trustee of a charity called HASAG which supports people with asbestos-related illnesses. The charity helped my Dad through his own illness and so I wanted to give something back for all the support they gave to him and my family. I have been able to contribute to the charity through supporting their patients with financial guidance and, now that I’m a trustee, I am involved in helping the charity make decisions which support others.